Live Man in the Coffin
by DrHoneyChuckles
Summary: A copycat Gravedigger is on the loose and one of the team goes missing. Will they find him in time? POST SEASON 6
1. Enter Gravedigger

'_Everyone knows who's the weakest link in the chain. You testify at my appeal and I'm gonna walk.'_

The words echoed through Lance's mind as he shivered in the dark. Was she right? Was that why he was down here?

Dr. Lance Sweets had no idea where he was. The first thing he had registered when he came to was pain. Pain was exploding from his shoulder and radiating down his arm. When he had tried to reach back and tell what was wrong he had found his hands were zip tied together. All he knew for sure was that he was in a box or crate of some nature and that whoever had put him down here had indecently stripped him of all his clothes except for his boxers. On all the sides of the crate, except the side he was laying on, shards of glass were imbedded into it. So unless he wanted to bleed to death there was really no chance of escape.

Hot tears rushed to Lance's eyes and he furiously wiped them away as best he could. '_Heather Taffet was...is dead. This is just a bad dream. Soon enough you'll wake up and find you just had too much to drink and Booth will be standing there laughing at you and Doctor Brennan will be chiding you...' _His racing thoughts weren't comforting him. He tried to remember how he had gotten here and reached for one of two items that had been left with him. A tape recorder.

He hit record. "Um… This is Doctor Lance Sweets." He gave a nervous laugh. "Well I'm… I'm underground… buried alive… or at least I think I am."

**7 HOURS EARLIER**

"You should have seen the look on his face!" Sweets gasped out in between fits of laughter. The other occupants at the table were also laughing quite hysterically. Booth wondered why they were all laughing so hard. It could have been the fact that they were all on their fourth round. Or it could be that Sweets had actually told a funny story. … He decided the first option was more likely.

Booth was seated comfortably beside Brennan (who was drinking water). Brennan was beside Angela who was beside Jack. (Obviously.) Then came Wendell, Sweets, and Cam.

Angela glanced down at her watch and gasped, "Jack! We told the babysitter we'd be back by now!"

"What?" Hodgins asked and then glanced at his watch. "Aw crap."

"Actually I think we should all probably head home." Brennan said as Angela and Jack stood. She looked over at Booth pointedly.

They had all just finished up on an extremely hard case and had been eager for a drink. But they were also all eager for a bed. They all gave each other a look and a silent agreement was shown. They each stood in turn, saying their goodbyes and leaving. Soon it was just Bones, Booth, and Sweets.

Booth slung an arm over Sweets's shoulders. "You gonna be okay to drive home?" he asked seriously.

"I'll be fine, Booth." Sweets said with a roll of his eyes. He was perfectly sober. Tugging out of Booth's grip he walked over to the counter and got a bottle of water. He turned his back on the counter and turned his attention to the couple in front of him. "Are _you _okay, Booth?"

"Look, I don't need a 12 year old looking after me." Booth retorted with a cocky grin. He pulled Bones over to his side.

The water was on the counter. But Sweets didn't notice that the seal was broken. Sweets turned and took the bottle and put a bill on the counter. He gratefully took a swig to try and clear his head more.

"We can take you to your car." Bones offered.

"Really, I'm fine." Sweets insisted.

"Naw, come on. You paid. It's the least we can do." Booth said.

Sweets took another big swig of his water and shrugged. "I guess so." He gave in.

" 'Atta, boy." Booth said and started walking Sweets out of the Founding Fathers. They started down the street to where Sweets's car was parked.

"Ah." He hissed and put a hand to his head.

"Sweets?" Brennan asked cautiously.

Everything suddenly started spinning for Sweets. He toppled to the side.

"Woah there, Sweets." Booth started. "I thought you said you were sober."

"No, Booth, I don't think this is the effects of alcohol." Brennan said with some panic.

"Didn't drink _that _much." Sweets mumbled as he pitched forward again.

"BOOTH, LOOK OUT!" Brennan yelled.

"Huh?" Booth didn't have time to react before he felt something hit the back of his head. He was out cold before he hit the ground. And without Booth's support Sweets soon followed.

"BOOTH!" Brennan yelled. She saw the attacker grab Sweets's leg and drag him away. All Brennan could do was shake Booth's shoulder. She turned. "Sweets!" She yelled desperately.

"D-doctor B!" Sweets slurred. He was fighting unconsciousness, but panic was still in his voice.

Brennan took out her phone and dialed the first person that came to her mind.

"Hello?" The voice asked.

"Cam! They're taking Sweets! They h-hit Booth on the head and now they're-they're taking Sweets!"

"Dr. Brennan, calm down. Tell me what happened." Cam's voice came back.

Brennan couldn't help a sob that escaped her lips as she saw the dark figure throw Sweets into the back of a black van with no license plate and then speed off. "He took Sweets." She gulped out.

"Look, I'm coming to you. Are you still at the Founding Fathers?"

Brennan nodded until she realized Cam couldn't hear a nod. "Yes."

* * *

><p><em>AN: So this is my first attempt at a Bones fanfic! I actually had this idea a long time ago when Heather Taffet threatened Brennan that it wasn't over yet. (Or whatever she said. It's been a while. ^^") I actually had a version written out for that too, but it was really crappy. So this is the rewrite of that old idea! This takes place about a month or so after season 6. Leave it up to your imagination! :D_


	2. Our Duckling

Two hours passed before Booth came back to consciousness for good. "Mmm…" he groaned. He put a hand over his eyes.

"Booth!" Brennan called. "Booth, can you hear me?"

"Don't talk so loud." He mumbled. He put his hand down on his stomach and tried to pry his eyes open. "The lights are so bright." He complained.

"You're in the hospital, Booth. You have a very serious concussion." Brennan tried to explain.

"A concussion?" Booth was thoroughly confused. How did he get a- "Sweets!" He shot upright and a wave of nausea swept over him. He kept it down and swung his legs off the bed. The floor titled horribly. He kept a tight grip on the edge of the bed as he tried to gain balance.

"Booth! Lay back down!"

"What happened to Sweets?" Booth asked as he squinted in Brennan's direction.

"Someone took him." Cam said.

Booth started and turned to see Cam and Hodgins sitting on the other side of the room. "What? How?"

"I did a drug test on the water bottle Sweets was drinking. It was laced with rohypnol." Cam said solemnly.

Booth pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to clear his thoughts. "You mean the date rape drug?"

"Yep." Hodgins affirmed. "And you got cracked over the head with a baseball bat that the guy left on the scene."

Booth plopped back onto the bed. "What about Sweets?"

"We don't know." Brennan said.

"What do you mean, you don't know? Did the kidnapper make any demands? Did someone try and trace Sweets' phone? Did-"

"We've tried everything, Seeley." Cam assured.

Booth closed his eyes again. "Can I leave now?" he mumbled.

"The doctor has to release you." Brennan told him sadly. If Booth had been watching he would see the guilt that was written all over the anthropologist's face. She had been there and all she'd done was sit at Booth's side. A hand travelled to her stomach. This child was causing her to think irrationally.

A sudden ringing cut the silence. "Would someone get that?" Booth complained as the loud noise echoed in his head.

"It's yours, Booth." Brennan said gently.

Booth went to dig his hand into his pocket and found he only had his boxers on. He opened his eyes and saw Brennan handing him the cellular device.

He flipped it open. "Booth." He answered.

"Doctor Lance Sweets has been buried alive. If the attached money amount is not sent to the correct bank account in 24 hours, Lance Sweets will suffocate to death." _Click. _

The stunned look on Booth's face set everyone on guard. "Was that the kidnapper?" Brennan asked.

Booth pulled the phone away and squinted at the screen. A text message had just come through with the money amount and bank account number.

"Seeley." Cam pressed.

"I need out of here. Now." Booth said as he shot out of his bed. "Where are my clothes?" he asked. He picked up a bag on the side table. "You," he pointed at Hodgins. "You're driving." Hodgins stumbled to stand up. He was _not _going to get on Booth's bad side.

"Booth." Brennan said sternly and stood up to look him in the eyes. "What happened?"

"There's a copycat Gravedigger on the loose, that's what happened." Booth snapped as he struggled to find the opening to the bag his clothes were in.

"There's a _what_?" Hodgins exclaimed.

"Sweets is gonna die if we don't get in gear and find him!" Booth yelled. "Is that enough for all of you?" The small room fell silent as Booth tried to dress himself. He didn't bother to button his shirt the whole way. He didn't even put his socks on. He just slipped his feet into his shoes. "Let's go, Hodgins." Booth ordered.

Hodgins didn't hesitate.

Brennan and Cam were left alone in the room. "Um… I'm going to go help find Doctor Sweets." Brennan said. That left Cam to deal with the doctor.

It didn't take long for Brennan to catch up with the disoriented FBI agent. Hodgins had jogged ahead to bring his car around front. "Booth!" Brennan called and walked up.

"What is it?" He snapped. He really just wanted to get to the FBI building and try and track this guy down.

Brennan recoiled at his harsh tone. "I just wanted to apologize, but I can see you're in no state of mind to be accepting one." She replied.

Booth stopped as he heard the hurt tone in her voice. He turned and pulled her into a hug. "I'm the one that should be sorry." He whispered.

"I watched Sweets get taken, Booth. And I didn't do anything… I just watched." Silent tears spilled over onto her cheeks.

Booth rested his chin on top of Brennan's head and closed his eyes. "There was nothing you could have done."

"Why Sweets?" Brennan sobbed. "He's never been involved in any of the Gravedigger cases. We tried to keep him out because he was FBI!" She sniffled. "Why Sweets?" she repeated.

"He's our little duckling. That's why." Booth replied. "He's the youngest out of us. We all protected him in our own ways, trying to keep him an innocent kid."

Brennan nodded and swiped at her eyes. "Stupid hormones." She mumbled.

A corner of Booth's mouth turned up. "Now let's go find Sweets."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks for all the reviews so far, guys. :) So I'm going to try something different with this story. If you've read my Numb3rs story, When Ends Meet, you'll know that I skip around from scene to scene quite a lot. With this one I'm going to try and give Booth and Sweets every other chapter. So we'll see how that works out. Let me know what you think!_


	3. Panic

_Pain… Cold… Dark… Pain… Sharp..? Panic._

Sweets was struggling to get his thoughts straight. He was lying on his side on something that felt wooden. Pain was screaming throughout his body. His head was pounding and his whole body was aching. He thought something was wrong with his arm though because it hurt the most.

It was cold. _Very _cold. And he wasn't one of those people who was cold when it was 80 degrees outside. He was one of those people who ran a fan all year round. He suddenly realized that part of his chills must have to do with the fact that he didn't have any clothes on except for his boxers. He went to the next thing his groggy mind brought up.

It was dark. Even with the short flicker of his eyes he was sure of it. It wasn't the dark that you saw when you walked into a room without the lights. No, it was a dark so thick that you could almost feel it. You could feel it suffocating you, forcing the darkest things in your mind to start emerging and make you think about all the people or things that could be hidden inside said darkness.

The pain. It was horrible. He tried to move his arm and couldn't help the yell of pain that escaped him. He clenched his teeth together and hissed. He tried to think of how he could have injured it this horribly, but the last thing he could remember was being at the Jeffersonian with the whole Jeffersonian crew… and Booth. He wasn't really part of the Jeffersonian. Had he been mugged? That would explain the pain and the darkness. He was missing his clothes too. Was the person who mugged him that desperate? He still didn't feel like he had the strength to open his eyes for very long so inch by inch he moved his foot out to try and find out where he was.

It was sharp. His foot touched something and he pulled back instinctively. It felt like glass. That went along with his being mugged and left in an alleyway theory. But why did the floor feel wooden then? He peeled his eyes open again only to find the same darkness as before. No street lights anywhere, not even the occasional headlights of a car. He felt something near his hands and reached out for it. Strange… His hands seemed to be moving together. They seemed to be stuck together by some invisible glue. So when he moved his good arm it also moved his bad one. He hissed and grabbed hold of the thing near his hand. It was a flashlight. He quickly pressed the button to turn it on.

Panic. He was in a crate, or more accurately a coffin. Sweet's breathing picked up to near hyperventilation and adrenaline poured through his veins. He wasn't groggy anymore. The walls were glistening and upon further inspection he found that the walls had jagged pieces of glass sticking out of them. He realized that's what his foot had touched earlier. He also realized that the invisible glue was actually a zip tie. But was the coffin actually underground? Or could it possibly be sitting on a table somewhere? If he shoved hard enough on the side of the coffin he should be able to knock it over if it was. But the glass would dig into him and who knew whether or not the glass was coated with drugs or not.

"HEY!" he yelled. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

His voice reached no one.

Hot tears raced to his eyes. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten here. Had he done something stupid? Had he gotten involved in a case he shouldn't have? Or could this possibly just be some sick twisted prank?

"Ha ha. Very funny, guys! Can you let me out of here now?"

No one answered.

'_Okay, Lance. Calm down. Take deep breaths and try and think back to how you got here.'_

He tried as hard as he could, but nothing would come back to him. What had he been doing at the Jeffersonian? Oh, right! He'd been taking over a profile for Booth. Wherever Brennan was Booth was sure to be close. Who had he done the profile on though? Was that why he was here? Did some psycho decide that he was a threat to them? Then wouldn't he be dead?

Question after question raced through his mind. Whatever drugs they had put in his system were definitely doing the trick. He shone the flashlight around again and saw something in the corner of the coffin. He grimaced. It was a recording device of some kind.

He wondered whether or not he should use it. Should he try and recall what had happened? Or should he just say his name so they'd be able to identify the body if he died?

Sweets slowly readjusted his arm and hoped Booth and Brennan would find him. Sooner rather than later.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry for the late update, guys. My laptop crashed and I had to wait for my new one. _


	4. Happy Hunting

Booth used to think that his office was a safe place. But when he had seen the envelope waiting for him he had gotten a sinking feeling in his stomach. The kidnapper had been here. And if not the kidnapper, his henchman. He was holding the yellow envelope in his hand. He stared at the carefully written letters on the front. He read them for about the fifteenth time.

'_To Agent Booth. Happy Hunting.'_

He'd had the urge to crush the envelope on reading it. He wanted to go burn it. He wanted to… kick something. But the only things in range were his desk and some cabinets. The envelope was small. But it was a perfect fit for a 4 by 6 photo. He could tell from the thickness.

He was glad he'd left Brennan and Hodgins down at the car. He said he was going to run up and grab a change of clothes. Which had been totally true. And assuming the kidnapper had been a copycat had left him unprepared.

He was debating between not touching it more and compromising evidence or opening it. He was still staring at it when he heard the door open.

"Booth?"

Brennan had never seen Booth scared. But she was sure this was what he looked like when he was. And it scared her. Scared her to the core. Nothing scared Booth. Booth was always able to deal with his emotions. He never let her see this side of him. She saw Booth take a gulp and look up. His face was white.

"It's for me." He managed.

Brennan kept her outward composure calm. For Booth. "Did you open it?"

He shook his head. "I…" he looked down at his shoes and then looked Brennan in the eyes. "I don't know if I can."

"You're a very muscular man, Booth, I don't-"

"Not that way." Booth said. "I don't know if I can handle what's in here." His anger had faded and was now being replaced with anxiety.

"I'm right here, Booth." Brennan said as she walked over. "You can do this. I know you can."

Booth nodded. He slipped a finger under the edge of the flap. It ripped open with relative ease. "Cam can try and get DNA off of the strip." Booth said as he kept the flap shut.

"Booth." Brennan pressed.

Booth knew he was stalling but he added, "Fingerprints too."

Then he slid the picture out. He stared in disbelief for a minute as his brain processed what was in the picture.

"That sick bastard."

Brennan though about pointing out it was irrational to assume the sender had been male. Then she saw what the photo was and thoroughly agreed.

Booth clenched his jaw and hissed his next words through his teeth. "I'm sending a team over to Sweet's apartment to check for evidence." He picked up the phone at his desk.

Hodgins opened the door next. "Hey, everything alright?" He saw the looks on Booth and Dr. B's face. "Something happened."

"The kidnapper sent us a picture of Sweets." The anthropologist answered.

"And?" Hodgins prodded.

"He was in Sweets' apartment. And… Sweets was…" Brennan struggled for words.

"Beat up and naked." Booth finished.

The words didn't process. "What?"

Brennan walked over and showed him the picture as Booth started barking into the phone.

"Look, I don't CARE what time it is-" Booth stopped as the person yelled back. "Listen to my words carefully. I'm not going to repeat them. LANCE SWEETS GOT KIDNAPPED. Understand now? … Ya, that's what I thought. Now wake people up and get them over to his apartment! … Ya, it better be fast. Get the scene sealed off and focus on finding fingerprints." _Slam._ Booth's fists clenched and his jaw clamped down hard.

Hodgins was looking at the picture with a look of shock on his face. "Are you sure that's Sweets?" he squeaked out.

"I recognize the scars on his back." Brennan replied.

"How'd he get those?"

"Abuse from when he was a child in the foster care system."

"Come on, Bones. We're going to Sweets' apartment." Booth said angrily as he stalked towards the door.

"What about me?" Hodgins asked.

"You're going to the lab and testing this envelope." Booth said and handed it to him forcefully. He then disappeared down the hall.

Booth was pacing outside Sweets' apartment door. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Brennan watched helplessly from her position leaning on the wall outside the door. Booth's thoughts were racing. The kidnapper would have had plenty of time to bring Sweets back here and do as he pleased while he was unconscious in the hospital. Two hours. A lot could happen in two hours. Especially if he had the place where he was going to bury Sweets dug in advance. Where else could he have taken him? But wherever he had taken Sweets had to be close. He didn't have the time to go very far if he had taken Sweets here first.

He had called Cam on the way over. She had said the rohypnol would have kept him unconscious for quite a long time. So at least he hadn't been in any pain when he'd been beaten. That also explained why no one had heard anything.

The reason for his pacing was that he was waiting for Caroline to get a warrant. The warrant would then get them the security video. They were also checking security video at the FBI. They had also warned the Jeffersonian that something might happen there. Security had been doubled.

Booth ran a hand through his hair. He was missing something. Something wasn't right and it was bothering him. Yes, Sweets was the youngest. But was that why he had been taken? Had he been working on a big case and gotten into trouble that way? The Gravedigger could have just been the easiest cover up. Make a phony call that said he was buried alive and you're a copycat. But why beat him? Why take the pictures?

"Agent Booth?" Booth turned to see a woman. She was about 5 foot 7 with blonde hair. She took out an FBI badge for him to see and then held out a hand. "I'm Agent Hanson. I'm here to help on the Sweets case."

"The scene's that way." Booth said flippantly and ignored the extended hand. He walked away.

Brennan walked over. "I'm Doctor Temperance Brennan. I... apologize for Agent Booth's behavior."

"It's alright. I understand the situation." Agent Hanson replied. "I'm a profiler. I came to help try and figure out why the kidnapper wants Sweets and possibly where he would take him."

"Psychology is a soft science. It's not a credible source of help at the moment." Brennan replied.

A small smile crossed Agent Hanson's face. "That's what they told me you'd say."

"Who?"

"I stopped over at the Jeffersonian before I came here. I spoke with Dr. Soroyan. She said I could find you and Agent Booth here."

Brennan crossed her arms over her chest. "I will agree to your help if Booth does."

"If Booth does what?" The FBI man asked as his pacing brought him back over.

"I'm a profiler." Agent Hanson said. "I can help you tell what your suspect is thinking and why he's going off of the Gravedigger masquerade."

"Really?" Booth asked.

Agent Hanson sighed. She'd had to do this so many times it was almost routine. "Your socks and tie suggest that you don't like to conform to the rules. So does your Cocky belt buckle. But a quick look at your records says that you're a very loyal and devoted person. You probably drive a black vehicle, most likely the one provided to you by the bureau. If you didn't drive the black car you'd probably drive a red one. And I can tell from the way you hold yourself and you're organization that you've served overseas and you're proud of it."

Booth was silent for a moment. "She reminds me of Doctor Gordon Gordon." He extended a hand. Hanson shook it. "Welcome to the investigation."

"Thank you. Now I'll take a look at the scene if you don't mind." Hanson said and walked off.

"Do you really think she can help?" Brennan asked. "I will admit that her demonstration was impressive, but psychology is still a soft science that is not totally accepted in the science world."

"If she can help us find Sweets I'm more than happy to bring her on." Booth answered.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks for all the reviews, favorite stories, and alerts so far! :D It really means a lot! I'm also starting to name chapters. So if you want you can look back and see the changed names._


	5. Dreams

"_That's great!" I said excitedly. That's when the subway lurched. The boy I had been talking to moments before pitched forward, hitting the pole in front of him. I lost my balance. I quickly regained it and the power in the car flickered. "Hey, you alright?"_

_Somehow I knew he was gone before I could even check to make sure. I tried to hope that he wasn't. Just a concussion. No. He was gone._

_Something changed then. The scene seemed to rewind. I was looking at myself. A voice that wasn't mine said, "That's great!"_

_The subway lurched and I pitched forward straight into the pole in front of me._

Sweets woke up with a gasp. He was covered in a cold sweat despite the fact that he was shivering. He tried to shake himself awake. The drugs were still in his system and it was making him extremely tired. He desperately wanted to stay awake. Agent Booth and Doctor Brennan could find him at any moment.

The harder he fought the heavier his eyelids felt. He gave up and they dropped shut again.

"_Why'd he take you, Sweets?" Dr. B asked. She looked distraught. Which I noted was highly unusual of the anthropologist._

"_I don't know, Doctor Brennan." I replied. I honestly had no clue. Maybe they had meant to grab someone else._

"_You're the duckling."_

_I turned to see Agent Booth. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his face was hard. No emotion showed through his mask. "I'm what?"_

"_Our duckling." Booth replied. Brennan walked over to stand beside Booth as he continued. "You're our duckling. Doctor Gordon Gordon told us about your parents. That they died right before you joined the bureau. That you were just looking for someone to be your family."_

_I searched for words. How was this possible? Booth actually cared? And Brennan too? All they'd done was take advantage of me. Use me when they needed me and grudgingly came into my office for appointments so I could approve of them and the FBI would continue to let them work together._

"_We're all your family, Sweets."_

_I turned to see Hodgins, Angela, and Cam. Hodgins had been the one to speak._

"_We're doing all we can to find you, Sweets." Angela reassured. "You just have to hang on."_

"_You're going to pay the money?" I asked. There was no other logical way that they'd be able to find me. I didn't have a phone like Doctor Brennan and Hodgins had. My kidnapper wasn't looking for a piece of missing evidence like had happened in Booth's case._

"_Don't worry about it, Sweets." Cam said with a gentle smile. "You're killer is going to leave us an evidence trail."_

_Killer? "Am I dead?"_

"_Not yet, but you will be." Booth said._

"_Soon. So very soon." Brennan continued._

"_Like the boy on the subway." "There's just a little time left." "You'll be in a horrible amount of pain when it happens." "We'll make sure to have a nice funeral. We'll even put you beside your parents." "Your real ones, not you're adopted ones. We know how much you loved your real dad."_

_The voices were starting to morph together. I couldn't tell who was who._

_The scene changed. I wasn't in the nice white room anymore. I was in a room I was all too familiar with._

"_I didn't do it, I swear!" I yelled. Tears were streaming from my eyes and my breaths were hitching in my throat._

"_SHUT UP!" his voice roared._

_Then came the belt. _Crack! Crack! Crack! _I did my best not to make a noise. The next one hit an especially tender spot. I cried out. _

"_You are the weakest person on this planet, you understand? You will _never _amount to anything! You'll always be a weakling!"_

_A familiar voice echoed "weakest link in the chain" through my head._

"_I didn't take your money! You spent it on the beer!"_

"_Shut up! Don't tell me what I did with my money!" _Crack! _I could feel my skin splitting open. "I know you took it! I know you took it and spent it on one of your idiotic books!" _Crack!

"_I didn't… I swear." The tears didn't stop. I was practically hyperventilating._

_Suddenly I wasn't on my stomach on my bed I was laying on my back in that white room again. Booth was over me. He looked tired. His eyebrows were creased with worry._

"_Stay with me, Sweets. We're gonna get you out of here, okay?" I tried to mumble a response. "That's right. Just stay with me. The EMTs are on their way over right now." I could feel myself fading. I wasn't going to make it. "Sweets? Sweets, stay with me!" Some other voices started mixing with Booth's. I heard the whining of electricity being charged._

"_Clear!"_

Sweets jerked awake. Tears started pouring down his face. He hated drugs. Hated them with a dying passion. Pain medication did this to him too. Not all of them, but most of them did. He sucked in a deep breath. He was shaking violently and it hurt. The shaking wasn't from the cold though. Sweets tried to keep his breathing deep and even. He tried to calm himself down. But it wasn't working.

They didn't mean the things they said. They were just his unconscious playing out random scenarios. He should know that. He was a psychologist. It wasn't real. It w-wasn't real. It wasn't. Real.

The silence and darkness suddenly closed in on him. He whimpered. He wanted out. Now.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I really liked how this chapter turned out! Please let me know! :D_


	6. Delivery

The lab was eerily quiet.

Angela sat on the couch in her office. Baby Michael was sleeping soundly beside her. She had laid out a few blankets to make a nice little spot for him to sleep. She was waiting for Hodgins. He'd said he was running the envelope over to Cam and coming right back. She sighed. Just as she was about to send a search party, he walked in.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she saw the look on his face. She got up and walked over to him.

"I uh… ran the picture of Sweets through the Angelatron." Hodgins bit his lip quivering lip. "It's awful, Ange."

"Hey," Angela pulled Hodgins into a hug. "We _are_ going to find Sweets, alright? Nothing is going to happen to him."

Hodgins held Angela tight against him. "Why such a high ransom amount? It's like he doesn't want us to be able to pay. Like he wants Sweets to die."

"You do have enough to pay it, you know."

"Eight million is a little high. Even for me. And I can't without proof of life anyways. And on top of that I can't spend over half a million without the board's approval."

"So many rules." Angela said glumly.

"I know." Hodgins replied. He released Angela from his hold.

"Well, since this is going to be a long night I'm going to run home and get some more of Michael's things." Angela said as she glanced in their baby's direction.

"Alright. Be careful." Hodgins said and then gave Angela a kiss.

"Don't worry about me." Angela said with a smile and walked out of the office.

Hodgins sat down on the couch beside Michael. Michael made a face and started fussing. "Hey, now." Hodgins cooed as he picked him up. "Don't worry, Mikey, we'll get Sweets back safe and sound. You heard your mommy." Michael made a cooing noise. "See? I told you so." Michael just stared at him with his large brown eyes and reached up for his beard. "Hey, what did I tell you about the beard. Some day you will have your own and then you can play with yours." Hodgins said teasingly as he reached for his child's hand. Hodgins looked down at the wide eyes of his child. "You're not going back to sleep any time soon, are you?"

Michael responded with a loud laugh and threw both of his hands into his father's beard.

"That's what I thought."

Cam walked in and Hodgins's good mood was shattered. "What happened now?"

"Come look at these DNA results."

Booth, Brennan, and Hanson were in Booth's car. "So what does your soft science say so far?" Brennan asked.

"That you're looking for a male. Someone who's alone all the time so he could get away with doing this to someone."

"Yes, we know that." Booth said. "Anything else?"

"That he doesn't want to kill Sweets."

The car was silent.

"He gets off on watching you all suffer. So you can bet he's monitoring you in some way. Maybe a hack in the security system."

"Wouldn't that make him want to kill Sweets even more?" Brennan asked. The profiler's logic wasn't making any sense to the anthropologist.

Booth spoke first. "Because it would be over to quick."

"Exactly. He wants to draw it out as long as possible. He wants to put images in your head that you'll have to face as Doctor Sweets is recovering."

"So he's a psychopath?" Booth asked.

"My word was going to be sociopath, but yes." Hanson replied.

Booth's cell rang and he answered it quickly. "What?"

"We have the test results back on the DNA." Cam replied.

"And?" Booth prodded.

"It's a partial match for Heather Taffet."

"… What?"

"It's a partial match for Heather Taffet." Cam repeated. "But it's male."

"You mean… the Gravedigger's brother?"

"Yes."

"Thanks, Cam."

Cam sighed and hung up her phone. She looked over at Hodgins. "He's not taking this very well."

Hodgins sighed as he bounced Michael up and down. "None of us are, Cam."

"I know that, Hodgins, but Seeley is taking it worse than everyone else is." She replied.

Hodgins nodded in reply. His cell rang. He was about to juggle between Michael and getting his phone when Cam took the baby. Hodgins saw Angela on the caller ID.

"Hey, babe." He answered.

"There was a video taped to the -"

"Ange, slow down. Is everything okay?"

Angela took a deep shaky breath. "It's Sweets. There was a DVD taped to the door and it was Sweets." Her voice got choked up as she said. "He was singing the coconut song, Jack."

"Uh… Did… I'll…" Jack stumbled for words. "Bring it back here, alright? I'll call Booth."

"Okay." Came Angela's unsteady response.

* * *

><p><em>AN: The next chapter takes place the same time this one does. :) That's why I posted them at the same time! And thanks for all the reviews, guys and gals. :D_


	7. Lime in the Coconut

The silence was starting to get to Sweets. He needed to do something. "Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime. His sister had another one, she paid it for a lime. She put the lime in the coconut, she drank them both up. She put the lime in the coconut, she drank them both up."

The words kept coming, but they weren't helping. It suddenly made him realize how utterly alone he was.

"She c-called the doctor, woke him up, and said 'D-doctor, ain't there n-nothing I can take.' I say, 'D-doctor t-to relieve this b-belly ache.'"

That's when his dull little flashlight went out.

"Now l-let me g-get this straight."

'_Ya, let me get this straight. I'm singing to myself in the dark buried underground just to keep my sanity long enough for people to find me. What if no one does find me? Are my last words going to be 'You put the lime in the coconut'?'_

"Put the lime in the coconut, you drank them both up. P-put the lime in the coconut you drank them both up."

'_Get a hold of yourself, Sweets! Singing is not going to get you anywhere. You need to pretend to be Doctor Brennan and Hodgins! Ya! That'll work! They escaped. So did Booth! Okay, so Booth said he escaped with the hallucination of his old army buddy. Do you have an old army buddy? No. Do you have any old friends? Nope. How about old friends in the family? Nada. Okay then… New friends? … …'_

"P-put the lime in the c-coconut, drink them both t-together. Put the lime in t-the coconut and then you f-feel better."

Suddenly a light turned off. It was one of those things that you didn't realize was there until it stopped. It had been red. What now?

He tried to bring his knees up to his chest as best he could. But the lyrics to his favorite song kept coming out of his mouth. He blamed it on nerves. Blamed it on whoever had put him down here. Blamed it on the Klingons. He even blamed Darth Maul for killing Qui Gon Jin. And then he blamed the drugs that were in his system that were making his thoughts not make any sense. It was nice when your thoughts flowed together smoothly. Like the bench he saw that had a sign on it that said "reserved for Forest Gump." Ya, that was entertaining. And then he was suddenly glad that he wasn't wearing a red shirt. The mixture of supporting character and a red shirt always meant imminent death.

He groaned and shut his eyes. He just wanted to be out of here. He wanted to be fully clothed and warm. He wanted Daisy. He wanted his friends. He wanted popcorn.

'_Everyone knows who's the weakest link in the chain. You testify at my appeal and I'm gonna walk.'_

No. Heather Taffet was dead. She wasn't the one that was holding him here. Hot tears rushed to his eyes. He wiped them away furiously. Now wasn't the time to cry. He reached for the other item that was with him in the coffin. A tape recorder.

He hit record. "Um… This is Doctor Lance Sweets." He gave a nervous laugh. "Well I'm… I'm underground… buried alive… or at least I think I am." Sweets thought about it for a moment. "Ya, I'm definitely buried alive. Um… Something happened to my shoulder and there's this annoying clicking in my collarbone that really hurts. Ya… I'm on drugs. Um… I don't really remember anything except being at the Founding Fathers. Booth was there… I think." He hit the record button again. "Gah! This is useless!" he yelled in frustration. Talking into a recording device wasn't going to get him anywhere.

He felt around and grabbed hold of the flashlight again. He clicked the button a few times. Nothing happened. He grimaced. Now he was doomed to the darkness for the rest of the time he was in here.

Sweets took a couple deep breaths and closed his eyes. He tried to clear his thoughts. Okay. He couldn't be _that _far from the Founding Fathers. They would have been notified. He convinced himself that this was a Gravedigger copycat, even if this type of containment had never been used. So someone would have been notified. It was probably Booth because that's who Sweets remembered seeing last. Or at least he thought that's who he'd seen last. Booth would go straight to Doctor Brennan with it. She'd call the team in and then they'd start looking for him.

They only problem was how. How would they know where to start looking?

_A/N: As I stated before, this chapter takes place at the same time as the last chapter. Lol. I kind of like how the beginning is kind of like a song fic, but not really._


	8. The Video

The video didn't focus on Lance's face. It focused more on his nasty looking shoulder and the bruises and cuts that covered his body. It was only a minute long, but just a minute was enough.

Booth, Brennan, Angela, Hodgins, Cam, and Hanson were all standing in front of the screen in Angela's office. They'd all seen worse. But this was Sweets. Their Sweets.

Agent Hanson was the first to speak. "Okay, I know this is difficult, but we need to look at the video from a non-biased point of view."

"Like how?" Hodgins asked in a rather sarcastic tone.

"Like can we figure out how big the coffin is? How much air he has left?" Hanson suggested. She turned to Dr. Brennan. "What's wrong with his shoulder? How serious is it?"

A lightbulb burst over Booth's head and everyone saw it. "Angela, can you get a time stamp on that video?"

"Ya, but what good would that do?"

"We can compare the time on the video to the time you got to your house. Then we can overlay a map with that time range and find anything in that area where Sweets could be." Booth explained.

"Good thinking." Angela said and ran over to her computer.

Hodgins had a hand on his chin. He was gazing at the screen with confusion. "Something's not right…" he mused.

Brennan took another look at the video and then came to a decision. "Angela, can you play the video again?"

"The audio's off." Angela replied as she played it. She continued working.

"What is it, Bones?" Booth asked.

"Right there." Brennan pointed. "Did you see it?"

Hanson squinted at the screen as Angela paused it. "His collarbone."

"Exactly." Brennan said. "Angela, can you replay the last few seconds?" She walked over to the screen and pointed. "Look right here."

Booth's color drained as the video played. You could see the collarbone had snapped and was clicking back and forth.

"Yes, that's nasty, but there's still something wrong with this whole video." Hodgins said. He closed his eyes and put a palm on his forehead as he did some math in his head. "Sweets is like six foot, right?"

"Ya." Booth answered.

Hodgins moved his lips silently as the math rattled through his head. His eyes shot open as soon as he was done. "That coffin should only hold nine hours of air."

Booth snapped his gaze over to where a timer was running. "It's already been almost eight."

"Which means that Doctor Sweets should be unconscious from lack of oxygen." Brennan replied.

"The video was burned onto disk forty-five minutes ago!" Angela yelled out. She pulled up a map of D.C. on the screen and then overlaid a series of colors onto it. "This is a map with the possible distances he could have traveled in that time."

The center point on the map was Hodgins and Angela's house. The color started out green and slowly turned red.

"Can you input golf courses, construction sites, anything where someone could bury a coffin without anyone noticing?" Booth asked.

"I can try. It might take me a while." Angela replied. She was suddenly glad that Jack had taken Michael down to day care before she had gotten back with the video. She couldn't focus on two things at once right now. Her fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard as her full concentration turned to the map.

Booth pulled out his phone and started talking to someone at the FBI. "Look, I've got an estimated area of where Sweets might be. I want you to get techs ready so if this guy calls again we'll be ready to track his call." He clicked the phone shut. "Anything else?"

There was silence.

The silence persisted for what felt like forever to Booth. He was sure he was going to dig a trench into the floor from all his pacing. Brennan had been trying to figure out what had caused the psychologist's shoulder to break how it did. Booth walked over to the exam room where she was.

"The nine hours is up." He said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"The copycat Gravedigger gave us twenty-four hours. We still have plenty of time." Brennan said calmly.

"But all we're-" he corrected himself. "all I'm doing is waiting around and hoping that a copycat of the Gravedigger is gonna call us."

"And that's a very important job." Brennan said. She put down the bone she was looking at and looked over at Booth.

"What if we don't find him, Bones?" Booth asked. He couldn't really explain how he'd been acting around Brennan lately. But ever since she had told him that she was pregnant he felt like he could tell her anything. He also had that little square box jingling around in his pocket for the past couple days that was weighing heavily on his mind.

Brennan walked over to the FBI Agent. "We are going to find him, Booth. Okay? We have had experience with this type of case before and we know what to expect."

"But this guy's different. He sent us a picture and a video."

"It doesn't matter." Brennan said. She grabbed hold of one of Booth's hands and pressed it to her abdomen. "I don't care if I have to keep working from a hospital bed. We will find Doctor Sweets and then we'll find out who did this to him."

Booth titled Brennan's head up with his free hand and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "I love you." He whispered.

"And I love you as well." Brennan replied with a smile.

Booth smiled devilishly and Brennan knew something awful was about to happen. "You know we still haven't talked about names yet." He stated.

"We haven't even discovered if it's a boy or a girl yet." Brennan replied.

"So?" Booth protested.

"I would like to do some research before we begin our debate." Brennan replied as a smile grew across her face.

Booth smiled. "Get back to your bones then, Bones." He said teasingly and walked casually out of the room.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Here's a little B/B fluff for you all! :D Hope you enjoyed! And yet again, thanks for all the wonderful feedback. I keep getting story alerts and every time I do I get really happy! Hahaha. Thanks a ton, everyone!_


	9. Air

The psychologist's breaths were coming in shallow rasps. Every breath took physical effort. Sweat was pouring over his body and he felt flushed. But at the same time he also felt cold. He felt like he was becoming distant. His eyes were only open partially. His head was spinning and thoughts didn't seem like a priority at the moment. Then it suddenly hit him what was happening.

He was running out of air.

Panic washed over Sweets. He was going to die down here. "No, no, no!" He said with a panicked tone. They were supposed to have gotten him out of here by now! Booth should be opening that coffin any minute now to bring him to safety!

Sweets could feel himself fade into unconsciousness.

Booth had resumed his pacing in Angela's office. He glanced at his watch. It was getting close to eleven. That meant 10 hours in that coffin. "Why can't we pay the money again?" Booth asked.

An exasperated Hodgins sighed. "Because they asked for eight million freaking dollars and I can't pay that much without approval from the board which would take about two days to assemble."

Booth grumbled under his breath.

That's when his phone rang. Booth looked at the caller ID.

"Is that him?" Hodgins asked.

"CAM!" Booth yelled. "GET THE FBI ON THIS CALL!"

Cam, who was down the hall in her office, yelled back, "GOT IT!"

Booth waited for the last ring before he answered. "Listen, buddy, you better give Sweets up or I am personally going to dig _your _grave."

"Who said he was buried, Agent Booth?"

The voice sent a chill down Booth's spine. "What do you mean?"

"Someone doesn't have to be buried underground to suffocate to death."

"So Sweets isn't underground?" Booth looked over at Angela as he said this. Angela started tapping things on her tablet and typing on her keyboard.

"You'll have to find out, Agent Booth." The voice replied. "I assure you that he's quite comfortable, wherever he is."

"Ya, I'd call being buried alive and having my shoulder dislocated very comfortable."

You could hear the smile in his voice. "Ten thousand dollars is to be transferred to the account sent to you in the next thirty minutes."

"For what reason?" Booth asked icily.

"As you've by no doubt realized, Dr. Sweets is almost out of air. In thirty minutes he'll completely run out. Ten thousand or he dies."

_Click._

Booth's hand dropped to his side. "Hodgins, can you shell out ten grand?"

"What for?" He asked.

"Giving Sweets extra air."

"I'm on it." The entomologist said and ran off.

Booth jogged down to Cam's office. "Please tell me we got a trace."

Cam had the phone between her shoulder and her ear. She was scribbling something on a notepad. "Okay, thank you. I'll let him know." She slammed the phone down.

"An abandoned warehouse on Willow Avenue." Cam told him. "The FBI's on their way over right now. If you leave now you can get there the same time they do."

"Thanks, Cam." Booth said. He ran over, grabbed Bones, and then took off for his SUV.

Sweets started coughing hard. He snapped his eyes open and tried to make sense of what was going on. One second he can't breathe and the next he's choking on the air. Sweets' throat burned and his chest rippled in horrible pain every time he coughed.

He realized that he could feel a breeze. Weird considering he was buried underground. He looked around and saw a very narrow slit at the top of the board closest to his head. It was the source of the air flow. He grimaced as he realized that this would be his ticket out of here. But to do so it was going to require a lot of elbow grease and pain. He decided it was best not to think about it.

He slowly rolled from his side onto his stomach. He cried out as the pain in his shoulder increased tenfold. He pulled himself into a crouch. He tried as best he could not to rub his bare back against the sharp glass on the roof of the coffin. He then reached his hands up to the narrow slit. His bound wrists kept him from getting a good hold on the wood and the pain of his shoulder was keeping him from pulling as hard as he could. The glass started to cut his hands as he kept pulling on the edge of wood he had a hold of.

His bloodied hands slipped and he fell forward, cut his face slightly, and landed on his bad shoulder. His stomach churned and Sweets couldn't help it when he felt bile rising in his throat. The pain was bad. He tried to keep his stomach contents in his stomach, but they didn't stay there. He wiggled around so his head was as far away from the vomit as possible which also meant he was away from the air. He squeezed his eyes shut as tears forced their way out.

So much for having some dignity when they found him.

Booth screeched to a halt in front of the warehouse. His lights and siren were still blaring. Right behind him was Agent Hanson.

"Stay here for now, Bones." Booth said and then placed a hand on her stomach. "For the baby's sake." He jumped out of the SUV and pulled his Kevlar vest on. Brennan huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She'd wait fifteen minutes.

Hanson jogged up to Booth. She already had her vest on and she had her gun out and ready. "I figured that you'd want to go in right away."

Booth nodded. "Let's go."

The two agents jogged off towards the entrance of the warehouse. Hanson ducked down and swung the door open. Booth cleared the completely empty room and walked forward. Hanson followed and kept an eye out behind them. They continued to sweep through the warehouse. It was totally empty. They came to a small office at the end of the warehouse. It had a big window that was covered by a blind. Hanson nodded and Booth kicked the door in.

The door flew back and revealed a man sitting at a computer. "Put your hands where I can see 'em!" Hanson yelled.

The man raised his hands up.

Booth was too distracted by the walls of the office to care about the man in it. A whole wall was plastered with pictures of Sweets. There was Sweets in his apartment, Sweets in the office, at the Jeffersonian, in the Diner, and even Sweets at the gym. The next wall was covered in pictures of himself and Brennan. The next one over was covered with Cam, Hodgins, and Angela. Then came a wall full of maps.

Booth then turned his attention to the man. "Stand up slowly." He growled as he walked closer.

The man did as he was told. Not a single word.

Booth put his gun in the holster and then roughly grabbed a hold of the back of the man's shirt and shoved him onto the floor. He shoved his knee into the man's back and pulled his hands back so he could cuff him. All Booth got out of the man was a grunt. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." Booth continued to read off the rights. He heard the shouts of more FBI agents and left them to deal with forensics.

By the time the man had been fingerprinted and sent through processing Sweets had been in the ground twelve hours. Booth stood outside the interrogation room and was staring through the one way mirror. Brennan was standing beside him. "He looks calm." Brennan commented.

"Too calm." Booth agreed.

"Why do you think that is?" The anthropologist asked.

Booth shrugged. He walked over to the thermometer and turned it up about eight notches. He slipped off his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. "Let's make this guy sweat."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Muwahahaha. Booth interrogation scenes are soo much fun. :D Thanks for the reviews and alerts! It keeps a procrastinator like me motivated! XD_


	10. Interrogation

Booth loosened his tie as he walked into the room. Anthony Taffet sat at the table looking at his hands. Booth gripped the back of the chair with white knuckles. His jaw was ground tight together. "So how's it going, Anthony?" he asked icily.

As usual the man made no comment.

Booth pulled the chair out and sat across from the man. "Do you like kidnapping men? Does it make you feel like a man?" he mocked. "I think it makes you look like a coward!" he slammed his hands hard against the table.

Anthony bit his lip.

"I also think it makes you look like a creep." Booth growled then he held up a hand and motioned Brennan in.

Brennan came in with what appeared to be fresh tears running down her cheeks. She handed Booth a file folder, but kept her eyes on Anthony.

Booth opened the folder and started throwing pictures down on the table. "You see these, Anthony?" He shoved them closer to the man. They were some of his surveillance pictures from the office they'd found him in. "It means we can peg you on something. Suspicious activity, at the least, which means we can hold you for as long as we want."

"Booth." Brennan said quietly.

"What?" Booth snapped back.

"Isn't it… harsh?"

"He kidnapped Sweets, Bones. What else am I supposed to do?" Booth turned his attention back to Anthony. "Now why don't we make this easy and you tell us where Sweets is."

Anthony stayed silent. He looked down at his cuffed hands and shuffled his feet slightly.

"Look, buddy, tell us where Sweets is and I won't have to tear up everything and everyone in your life!" Booth yelled right into Anthony's face.

"Booth!" Brennan yelled. She bit a quivering lip.

"I don't care, Bones! This guy took Sweets whether he'll admit it or not." Booth said back. "He hit me in the head with a baseball bat and drugged Sweets so he could make the hit easier."

Beads of sweat started dripping down the side of Anthony's face. The heat of the room was getting to him.

Brennan sat in the chair across from Anthony. "I'm sorry, Anthony. He's a little emotional right now."

"A little? Ha!" Booth got right in Anthony's face again. "But you know all about emotion, don't you? You get off on it! You love seeing people in pain!"

"Look, even if I was the person and I drugged this guy with rohypnol, it doesn't last that long!" Anthony realized he'd slipped up when he saw the smug grin spread across Brennan and Booth's face. "What? It was a 'what if' scenario."

"We never said anything about rohypnol." Brennan replied.

"Nice job, Bones." Booth said and gave her a high five.

"Thank you, Booth." They both leaned on the table and got in Anthony's face once more. "Will you tell us where Sweets is now?" Brennan asked.

Anthony scowled. "That doesn't prove anything!"

"Yes it does." Booth mocked.

"No it doesn't." Anthony replied.

"I'm quite sure it does." Brennan mocked this time.

Anthony stood up angrily and yelled. "He only has six hours left! And I'm not gonna tell you where he is!"

"Bones, get out of here right now." Booth muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Booth-"

"Brennan." He shot her a look. She quickly exited the interrogation room.

"Look, Anthony, we have your hideout. It's only a matter of time before we find him for ourselves. If you tell us where he is in advance it might cut you a little slack in court." Booth's voice was low and sounded dangerous.

"He'll die before I tell." Anthony spat venomously.

Booth clenched his jaw hard and gripped the table. The table flipped over to the side of the room in a tremendous clatter. Booth got about two inches in front of Anthony's face and started poking his chest. "If he dies, you die!"

A smile spread across Anthony's face as he sat back down in his chair. "So be it."

Booth's fist moved before he realized he was doing it. It connected with Anthony's cheek and his chair tipped over onto its side from the force of the blow.

Booth stormed out of the interrogation room. The door closed and he muttered, "That went well." He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"What _was _that, Booth?" Brennan asked.

"That was an interrogation, Bones." He replied.

"Hey." She caught his arm and spun him around.

"We're not gonna find him, Bones." Booth said.

"Yes we are."

Booth and Brennan looked up to see Agent Hanson. "We're trying to track some radio signals at Taffet's hideout. That's how he gave Sweets extra air. We also started comparing the maps he has marked up on his walls to the diagram Angela made."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I feel like Taffet cracked too easily, but other than that I liked this interrogation scene! :D_


	11. X Marks the Spot

Angela's office had been plastered with maps. At every map was a person. So to say that the office was packed was an understatement.

"Okay, everyone!" Booth yelled and the room got quiet. "Misses Montenegro is going to explain what we're doing here!"

"Alright, I'm going to be reading off a list of places. If you have that place on your map please yell out your map number." Angela turned to her computer screen and projected the list on the screen and started calling them out. She kept her tablet in hand and highlighted the places that were on the maps and which map they were on.

It took about forty-five minutes to get through all fifty-two locations. The agents cleared out of the office and waited for a location to be given.

"Now what, Angela?" Brennan asked.

"Um…" Angela bit her lip as she thought. She scrolled through the list again. "There are eight possible locations."

"We need to narrow it down." Booth said and pinched the bridge of his nose. Only five hours left.

"Can you pull up all the locations on that map you made earlier?" Agent Hanson asked. Angela nodded.

"Did anyone check the area directly around Taffet's hideout?" Cam asked.

"They searched for two hours. There's nothing there." Booth replied.

The map came up on the screen. "The parts highlighted in yellow are the locations that are marked on the maps found in Mister Creepy's secret lair." Angela told them. "The little blue dot is the secret lair."

"We can eliminate these three." Brennan said and pointed to them.

"Why?" Booth asked.

"They're too far away from Doctor Hodgins and Angela's house." She replied logically. Angela tapped her tablet and the three of them disappeared.

"Wouldn't it be this one then?" Hodgins asked. He pointed to the one closest to the blue dot.

"Actually, no." Hanson said. "He doesn't want it too close to where he operates because it would look suspicious."

"Alright then." Angela made the location disappear. "That leaves us with four locations, a golf course, a drive-in movie theater, a cemetery, and a campground."

"A drive-in is too populated." Cam said.

"The same with a golf course." Brennan added.

"Well what better place to hide a coffin than in a graveyard?" Booth asked.

"But we can't rule out the campground." Hanson said. "It's secluded. He could have put a tent overtop his digging site."

Booth couldn't deny that probability. Oh great, now he was sounding like a Squint.

"What's your gut say, Seeley?" Cam asked. She could see that look on his face.

"I'm not sure." Booth replied.

"Bull crap." Angela blurted out. All heads turned toward her. She put a hand on her hip and stared the FBI agent down. "You always have a hunch. It's your gift, Booth. You have intuition that none of us have. So where is he?"

"The cemetery."

They were on the road in five minutes. They passed the D.C. traffic with flashing lights and sirens. Booth was steering the black SUV with one hand while the other was holding a phone to his ear. "I need a list of all the graves at the cemetery… Yes, I know how… I don't care how long it is! I need a list of all the people! … Yes, sir. I know, sir… Alright." He clicked the phone shut. "They're sending a list to my phone."

Brennan glanced over at Booth. "Something else happened."

Booth sighed. He wished that she couldn't read him so well. "They're sending some agents to each location because the higher ups don't fully trust the Jeffersonian."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Brennan objected.

"I know, but it's a good precaution." Booth said in an attempt to calm Brennan down. She took it personal when someone offended her precious Jeffersonian.

Brennan huffed. "I guess so."

Booth floored the gas pedal now that he had both hands on the steering wheel.

It only took ten minutes for Booth to get to the cemetery. Normally it would be about half an hour if you obeyed traffic laws. The SUV that whipped in behind him was Agent Hanson. She had brought Cam, Angela, and Hodgins.

"Alright let's split up. We're looking for freshly dug grave sites. You see one let me know." Booth said as they all poured out of the cars.

The cemetery wasn't very big compared to others in the area. It was actually quite a nice place. It was surrounded by trees that created a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. They also made shade for anyone that made an extended stay. There were some flowers and wreaths scattered about on various graves.

Booth had gone straight up the middle. Nothing was there. He watched the others near the end of their rows and got worried that his hunch had been wrong. But if Sweets wasn't here where else could he be?

Hodgins had gone to the far left of the cemetery. He was almost at the end of the row when he saw the freshly turned up dirt. He ran over to the spot. "Booth!" he yelled once he got there. There was no headstone.

Booth heard the yell and started sprinting over. He literally jumped over a headstone and skidded to a stop beside Hodgins. The others arrived a little more slowly.

"Where's the headstone?" Booth asked breathlessly.

"There isn't one." Hodgins replied.

Booth cussed under his breath. "Do we have any shovels?" he asked.

"I'll go check the maintenance shed." Hanson said and ran off.

"I'll call the FBI and tell them to send over their agents and an ambulance." Cam offered and took out her phone.

Booth nodded grimly and then got on his hands and knees. He started pushing the loose dirt off the top. Hodgins dropped down and joined him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: *starts the suspenseful music* Thanks for the reviews guys! Oh, and JoanneLikesVolleyball, I think I look forward to your reviews just as much as you look forward to my updates! ;)_


	12. Road Block

_A/N: I apologize in advance for the cliffhanger. ;)_

* * *

><p>Booth and Hodgins were sweating buckets by the time the rest of the FBI agents got there with more shovels. The duo had made a pretty large dent in the ground, but they were getting nowhere fast. There were only two hours left. That meant that when they got to the coffin Sweets would be unconscious from lack of oxygen.<p>

Five shovels made the process go faster, but not as fast as Booth would have liked. The ground was hard from the recent cold front that had come through. It was fall. What else was expected? Somewhere in the next ten minutes Booth heard a siren and saw the ambulance pull up near to where they were.

Angela was meandering around the area when the name on a tombstone caught her eye. She crouched down beside it and brushed some fresh dirt off to read it clearly. "Oh no." she breathed. She turned toward the mass of people not to far away. "Bren, Cam!"

The two women heard their names being called and jogged over.

"Is something wrong, Angela?" Brennan asked.

"Look at this headstone." Angela said sadly.

Brennan bent over to look at it more clearly. It was one of the kind that was made for two people, usually a husband and a wife. There was even a heart on this one which proved Brennan's theory. Then she took in the names. David and Meredith Sweets. No, the new Gravedigger couldn't be _that_ deviant, could he? She looked at the dates of death. She grimaced.

"These are Doctor Sweets' adoptive parents." Brennan confirmed.

"Adoptive?" Cam questioned.

"Yes." Brennan stood up. "Much like myself, Sweets was juggled between foster homes."

Angela stood. "Poor Sweets." She sighed.

There was a clang and the three women turned their heads. "I hit something!" Someone announced.

Booth's digging speed picked up and soon he hit something too. But it wasn't wood. Booth cursed rather loudly. "What is it?" Hodgins asked.

"It's cement." Booth said. He threw his shovel up on ground level and then clambered up.

"What is it, Booth?" Brennan asked as she saw him. She held out her hand and helped pull him up.

"There's a layer of cement." He said.

Hodgins climbed up next. "We're not gonna get through that with shovels."

"Uh…" Cam put a hand on her head as she tried to think of a solution. "Construction companies?"

"Just get us some big hammers." Hodgins said and rolled his sleeves up for the fifteenth time.

"Jack." Angela gave her husband a pointed look.

"What? We don't have much of a choice." Hodgins replied. "If we wait for something more heavy duty from a construction company Sweets will be out of air by then."

"He's right." Booth agreed.

Hanson pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I'll call some people and see what I can do."

Booth sighed. "You don't think Sweets can hear us, can he?"

Brennan glanced at her watch. "He's most likely unconscious at this time, but there is a slight chance that he could still hear you."

Booth dropped carefully back down onto the cement. He could tell it had just been poured recently. It was hard but had a sheen across the top. He got down on his hands and knees. "Sweets! Sweets, can you hear me?" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Sweets, only a foot below, could hear Booth. His lungs were burning and he could feel the familiar cold washing over him. He was running out of air again. At first Sweets thought he was imagining the voice. Then he realized that it was muffled. Why would the voice be muffled if it were in his head? He pulled as much air as he could into his lungs. "Booth!"

Booth was surprised at first. Then a stupid grin came over his face. "We're gonna get you out of there. Okay, Sweets?"

Everyone standing up above heard the raspy and muffled, "Okay!" that came from beneath the cement.

"Oh my gosh, was that Sweets?" Angela asked.

"No, I'm a ventriloquist." Booth snapped as popped back up.

"I believe that was a sarcastic comment." Brennan stated to her best friend.

"I know, sweetie." Angela said.

"How much time is left?" Hodgins asked with concern.

"An hour and a half." Cam said as she glanced at her watch.

"It's a … miracle that Doctor Sweets is still conscious." Brennan said. She chose her words carefully.

Sweets wasn't conscious for very much longer. "Hurry…" he whispered before his eyes drifted shut.

"Too long, too long." Booth mumbled under his breath. It had only taken five minutes for the heavy duty sledgehammers to get there, but the bureau wanted to make sure Sweets was under there before they went busting up somebody's grave. Booth had tried to convince them that he'd had contact with the psychologist, but as usual they had "protocol" to follow. Even though Booth was pretty sure nothing like this had ever happened before.

The forensics men had been down in that hole for half an hour now. That meant forty-five minutes before Sweets ran out of air. Fort-five minutes to bust through however much concrete there was and to get Sweets out safely.

"There's definitely someone down here." The lead forensic man said.

"Thank you, Captain State-the-Obvious. Can we break the cement now?" Booth asked impatiently. The forensics man nodded.

Now came more waiting.

Brennan touched Booth's arm slightly to try and get him to calm down. Yes, they were all agitated and nervous, but she had learned it was best to stay calm in these situations. Booth just kept pacing and ignored Brennan's touch. His head was in a different place. A much darker and more disturbing place. He glanced at his watch. It was five minutes past the deadline.

"What is taking so long?" He burst out.

"Agent Booth!" Someone yelled from inside the hole. The whole crew ran up to the edge. The cement was gone and a scuffed up coffin lay beneath covered in dust. Booth didn't hesitate to jump down.

It seemed like a dream. A really bad one. He pulled back the coffin lid. Sweets was very still and very pale. The area around his lips was blue. "Sweets!" he yelled and jumped down into the coffin. He didn't feel the pain as some of the glass cut his leg. He put two fingers to the psychologist's neck. Booth swore is own heart stopped as he waited. He pressed his fingers harder against the kid's neck.

"He's got a pulse, but he's not breathing!" Booth announced. "Get the paramedics over here NOW!"


	13. Crash

Cam didn't warn the people around her as she used her loud voice to get the EMTs' attention.

Booth started pressing hard against Sweet's diaphragm as he crouched overtop of his duckling. "Breathe, Sweets!" he yelled. "Don't give up on me now!" He continued pumping his hands. "I didn't waste all of that time just for you to die on me now dammit! Come on, Sweets! I wanna see those pretty brown eyes of yours!" Tears sprang to Booth's eyes as Sweets still didn't make any movement. Booth's acts became desperate. His pumps became harder. "Come on, Sweets." He whimpered.

Booth pushed down again and suddenly Sweets took a deep gasp of breath and started coughing hard. "There ya go, Sweets! That's my boy!" Booth said encouragingly. "Stay with me, Sweets. We're gonna get you out of here, okay?" Sweets tried to say something over his coughing. "That's right. Just stay with me. The EMTs are on their way over right now."He suddenly felt himself being moved out of the way by the paramedics. They were lowering a backboard down into the hole. Booth crawled up to get out of there way. He furiously wiped at his eyes as he gained his footing. Seeley Booth was not going to cry. Not in front of all these people.

Before he knew it he was in the ambulance with Sweets. He kept a hold of the twelve-year-old's hand the whole time.

Everything was passing in a blur for Sweets. He felt the connection between himself and Agent Booth and was grateful. He could hear voices, but couldn't exactly understand their meaning. All he knew was that it meant he was alive. He was alive and not in that hole. But being alive also meant that the pain was horrific. His teeth were ground together tight as the EMTs poked, prodded, and bandaged. He felt darkness on the edges of his vision and welcomed it. He needed it for the pain. He didn't think it would be his downfall.

"Sweets?" Booth yelled as the heart monitor started dropping. "Sweets, stay with me!"

"He's crashing!" An EMT yelled.

"The hospital's five minutes away!" The driver yelled back.

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee- _"Quick, get the crash pads!" _–eeeeeeeeeeeeee- _"Charging!" _–eeeeeeeeee-_ Booth's connection with Sweets' hand was severed._ –eeeeeeeeee- _"Clear!"

Booth would never forget the sound or the sight. It would haunt him for years to come. The constant beep was ringing in his ears. The sound of whining electricity. Even the smell. But the most unforgettable part was the sight of Sweets' body jerking as hundreds of volts of electricity surged through his body. The second time 'clear' was yelled the heart monitor returned to its normal beeping.

Booth released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He grabbed hold of Sweets' hand again. "Hey, you look at me, Sweets!" Booth yelled at him.

Sweets tried to move his head, but realized he had a restraint on him. He looked over to where he could see Booth. His eyelids dropped, but he kept them open as best he could.

"You are going to look at me the whole time. You understand, Sweets?" Booth demanded. "I did not get a baseball bat to the head just to watch you die, alright?"

Lance's eyebrows knitted together. He got a baseball bat to the head? The psychologist winced as pain burst behind his eyes. He tried to keep the cry of pain down. His memories were coming back and he was sure they were going to kill him on the way back in.

'_Everything suddenly started spinning. I felt myself topple to the side._

"_Woah there, Sweets." Booth started. "I thought you said you were sober."_

"_No, Booth, I don't think this is the effects of alcohol." Brennan said with some panic._

"_Didn't drink _that_ much." I mumbled as I pitched forward again._

"_BOOTH, LOOK OUT!" _

"_Huh?"_

_I felt myself fall forward and hit the sidewalk hard. "BOOTH!" Brennan yelled. I felt someone grab my leg and start dragging me across the rough surface. I felt drowsy all of a sudden and had to fight to keep it away. I looked back and saw Booth on the ground with Brennan crouching beside him. "Sweets!" She yelled desperately._

"_D-doctor B!" I slurred. 'Don't let him take me! Don't let him take me, please! Doctor Brennan! … Booth!'_

_A car door slammed.'_

"Can't you give him something for the pain?" Booth asked not too nicely.

"We have him on our most powerful pain medication, Agent. I suggest you back off and trust us." A paramedic snapped back.

"It was th' water." Sweets suddenly slurred out. He opened his eyes and looked desperately at Booth. "Th' wat'r." He repeated.

Booth squeezed Sweets' hand reassuringly. "I know, Sweets. We caught the guy. He's in custody right now and he's not getting away with this." Booth saw the relief wash over Sweets. Then his eyes squeezed shut again and he saw the pain come back.

'_My apartment? Why am I here? Did Booth bring me here after the bar? I looked down and saw my hands were tied. Same with my feet and a gag was in my mouth. But for the life of me I couldn't remember what had happened._

_Great! Someone broke into my apartment and tied me up. They probably hit me over the head too which is why I can't remember anything._

_Pain suddenly blossomed across my ribs as I was kicked in the side. The force flipped me so my back was on the floor and I was staring at a man that was leaning over me. An evil smile was on his face. I was eerily reminded of a similar look my biological father had._

"_Doctor Lance Sweets." The man taunted. "How nice of you to drop by."_

_His foot caught my chin as he kicked out and I felt my neck crack._

"_Just remember this. All of this is happening because your so called friends don't care about you." '_

The ambulance pulled into the hospital and Booth followed as far as he could. He met up with Brennan, Cam, Hodgins, and Angela.

"How is he?" Hodgins asked. His hand was wrapped tightly around Angela's.

"He's in a lot of pain." Booth answered. "He… um…" he trailed off and looked at his feet.

"Booth?" Brennan prodded.

Booth looked up and saw expectant and caring eyes looking at him. He wasn't sure how to word this part. "He crashed. His heart stopped. They had to use the… the shocky things twice."

"The defibrillator." Brennan corrected gently. Angela gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

"Ya, it uh… wasn't pretty." Booth said and then walked off.

Brennan turned and followed him. "Where are you going, Booth?"

"I'm nailing this bastard."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I had a hard time deciding which way I wanted to go with this part, but I'm happy with how it turned out! :D Thanks for all the reviews guys! I think I've got the most reviews yet last chapter. I also want to thank everyone who's added me to their story alerts. I keep getting more and more every day! Thanks! Favorite stories are also appreciated! :D _

_(And just to let you know, the gloves come off next chapter. ;D)_


	14. Hostage

Anthony Taffet looked smug. And Booth wanted to slap the look off his face.

Booth hated that there was a clock in the room. He hated that he knew what time it was. But he had an advantage. Sweets was alive.

Booth was dirty and sweaty when he walked into the interrogation room.

"Well, Agent Booth, did you have fun playing in the dirt?" Taffet taunted.

Booth roughly pulled the chair opposite Anthony out and sat down heavily. "Loads." He answered.

"I assume you came up empty handed? Why else would you be here? I'll let you know in advance that I'm not making a-"

"We found him."

Anthony's smug expression disappeared. "What?"

"We found him. He's alive and well." Booth answered. "He's in the hospital right now."

"You're lying." Anthony accused.

"No, I'm not." Booth replied. He liked being the smug one. "You lose, Anthony. You're going to jail."

"You have no evidence!" Anthony yelled as he stood up.

"Actually, we do." Booth said. He grabbed hold of Anthony's shoulder and forced him back down into the chair. He got up and started walking slow circles around the table. "When you combine the maps we found in your hideout with the location that we found Sweets at, I'm pretty sure we can convict you. I know some pretty good people."

"He'll never be the same again. I hope you know that." Anthony replied. "It probably would have been better to let him die."

"I don't think so."

The door to the interrogation room opened and Booth looked over to see Brennan standing there. "Cam called." Was all she said.

But this was the only distraction Anthony needed.

In one swift movement he jumped up from his chair and tackled Booth to the ground. Booth had the wind knocked out of him and felt his back crack as he hit the ground. Brennan ran out of the room and yelled for help down the hall. When she saw agents coming she went running back in and found Anthony had Booth pinned to the ground. A look of pain was on Booth's face. "Bones, get out of here." Booth managed.

"I don't think so." Anthony said as he pulled Booth's gun out of its holster and pointed it at Brennan. "Now, _Bones_, you're going to come over here and unlock these handcuffs. If you don't I shoot Booth." He looked down at Booth. "If you try anything I shoot Doctor Brennan."

Brennan carefully started moving her way towards Anthony as the other FBI agents made their way in. "Cam said that Sweets is out of surgery." Brennan whispered to Booth as she crouched down and searched the man's belt for the cuff keys. "They're keeping him sedated while they treat his wounds."

Booth managed a nod in return.

Brennan carefully unlocked Anthony's handcuffs.

Anthony then quickly pulled Brennan into a choke hold. A wide grin came over his face as he brought the gun up to Brennan's head. Anthony started making his way toward the door. "I promise that I will leave Doctor Brennan with a cellphone somewhere you can reach her once I've safely made it away. If you try and track me I shoot her. If any of your agents try and stop me or shoot me on my way out…" he lowered the gun to Brennan's abdomen. "I shoot your baby."

Booth struggled for words. Adrenaline was pouring through him and it was making it hard for him to make an accurate decision. He looked up into Brennan's eyes and saw determination there. He knew she could handle herself, but still… The two things he cared about most were on the line here. Brennan and their unborn child. But more importantly how did he know Brennan was pregnant?

Anthony enjoyed the torturous look in Booth's eyes. He smiled even wider. "I've done my research, Agent Booth."

"It's okay, Booth." Brennan said. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she knew she couldn't let this be Booth's fault. She needed to make this her decision so if anything went wrong Booth could live with himself.

"I swear to god I will hunt you down." Booth growled. "You lay a hand on her and you're a dead man."

Anthony looked back at the three agents blocking the door. "You heard him. Back off."

Booth thought that he was literally going nuts. He also thought he was going to wear a hole into the hospital floor. His back ached with every step, but he couldn't stop. He didn't stay at the FBI for very long after the incident. He drove over to the hospital and informed the Jeffersonian crew about what was going on. Hodgins was currently comforting Angela who was worried sick about her best friend. Things just kept stacking up on top of each other and Booth wasn't sure how much more any of them could take. That included himself.

He finally dropped into a chair and put his face in his hands while resting his elbows on his knees. He couldn't take it anymore. "Brennan's pregnant." He blurted.

It took a moment for the others to process what he said. "She's what?" Cam spluttered.

"Oh my gosh, Booth…" Angela started.

"You're not the dad are you?" Hodgins finished.

Booth nodded as he kept his face in his hands.

"Oh, Booth." Angela moved over to the chair beside him and hugged him.

Booth dropped his hands from his face. He looked over at Angela. "He threatened to shoot the baby. He held the gun to her stomach."

"That's awful, Booth. I can't even imagine what you're feeling." Angela said as she continued to hug the big man.

Hodgins had his fists clenched tight together. He thought of Michael and rage filled him. How could a man threaten an unborn child that way? Did this man have no soul? Cam was having a similar reaction.

A doctor walked out of a set of double doors. "Family of Lance Sweets?" she asked.

They all stood up expectantly. Booth thought about how Brennan would point out the fact that they were not in fact Doctor Sweets' family, but quickly pushed it away.

"How is he?" Cam asked.

"He's doing very well." The doctor said. "We moved him out of recovery already. If you'd like I can take you to his room. But I suggest you let him rest. He's been through a lot and he's probably exhausted."

"Alright." Booth agreed hurriedly.

"Before we go back I need to ask some questions about Mr. Sweets' lack of oxygen."

"Like…?" Hodgins asked.

"How long was he out of air for?"

"We approximated three to five minutes." Cam said.

The doctor nodded. "I don't know if I need to warn you about the side effects of not having oxygen for that long."

"A possible personality change." Cam replied.

"Yes, it's common for people with major head injuries or instances where oxygen doesn't reach the brain to have a drastic personality change."

"He'll have loads of support. I'm not letting this kid out of my sight for a while." Angela said.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Wow! Thanks for all the reviews, guys/gals! :D It really means a lot! I'm sorry this chapter took as long to post as it did. I've actually had it finished for a while, but I've been having some family problems lately. Also school started today so updates may be a little slower. Stay tuned for more on Dr. B! ;)_


	15. Audacity

The doctor smiled slightly at the group and then led them down the hall. She had felt bad for the young man the minute she saw him rolled into the OR. She was glad he had good supporting friends to get him through this.

The doctor stopped after a short while and quietly pushed open a door.

A light beeping reached the group's ears as the door swung open silently. Sweets had a heart monitor attached to his chest and an IV attached to his wrist. He had tubes in his nose that were supplying him with oxygen. His left arm was in a sling and peeking out from underneath the hospital gown you could see gauze from where they'd gone in and wired his collarbone back together.

But Booth was just glad that the psychologist was finally getting some rest without any pain.

"He's so young." Angela sighed.

"Poor kid." Cam agreed.

"I guess I'll stay here." Booth said softly. "You guys should go home and get some rest. I can update you on Brennan when I get word."

"I'm not leaving you here alone, Booth." Angela protested. "Besides, you'll go run off to save Brennan and you'll leave Sweets here alone. So I'm staying."

Hodgins glanced at his watch. "Michael needs picked up from day care."

"Okay then, Hodgins and I will go and Angela and Booth can stay." Cam said. "How 'bout that?"

"Sounds good." Booth agreed.

Brennan was sitting in the passenger seat of _her_ car. Yes. Anthony had the audacity to hotwire her car. She found this rather idiotic. Booth would recognize her car from (using a vague colloquialism) a mile away. Then she remembered that Booth wasn't looking for her at all. Or at least she hoped he wasn't. She loved the child already. She'd even started thinking of names even without proper research.

Brennan's left hand had been tied tightly to the door so that her arm was crossed in front of her. She could feel her skin had rubbed raw and took a safe guess that it was bleeding, but she couldn't really tell. She assumed he had tied her this way so that she couldn't interfere with his driving. But so far Anthony had kept his promise. He hadn't laid a finger on her since he started driving.

"Why'd you do it?" Brennan asked breaking the silence.

"I've done lots of things. Please tell me which one you're talking about." Anthony said.

"Why Sweets?"

"He was the most vulnerable. Always alone, has a routine, and things like that. Not to mention that he's the most emotionally attached one to the rest of you." Anthony replied. "Besides," He sighed. "You, Booth, and Hodgins already had your turn. And Agent Booth is way too over protective of you. I couldn't get near you if I tried." A slight smile passed over his face. He then turned the blinker on and pulled off to the side of the abandoned road. He pulled the gun up to Brennan's head. "Open the glove box."

Brennan grimaced but did as she was told.

"Take out the cell phone." He instructed.

As Brennan's hand was in the glove box Anthony quickly reached over and cut the rope from her left hand. "Now get out of the car."

Brennan glanced down at the phone. "But there's no service here!" she protested.

"I never said there would be." Anthony replied. "Now get out."

Brennan opened the door and stepped out. She slammed the door shut. Anthony sped off with a squeal of the tires. Brennan was half tempted to kick the car as it sped off.

The anthropologist sighed and glanced down at the phone in her hand. _'I guess it's time to start walking.'_

Booth sighed. He was exhausted. Angela had curled up on two of the chairs and was sleeping lightly. Booth desperately wanted some sleep, but knew he needed to be awake when Brennan's phone call came. He also needed to be awake if Sweets woke up. But he hoped that he wouldn't for a while.

He glanced at his watch. It'd been 29 hours since Sweets was abducted, 27 since Booth had woken up in the hospital, and only a little over three since Sweets had been admitted to the hospital and Brennan had been captured.

Booth started twiddling his thumbs. He needed something to keep his attention. He dug his phone out of his pocket and started to try and guess when it would ring. He started a countdown in his head. He gave up on that idea and went to get the TV remote. He started aimlessly flipping through the channels.

"A copycat Gravedigger… FBI psychologist Lance Sweets… found in a… Gravedigger…"

"Isn't there anything good on?" Booth complained quietly. He sighed and switched the TV off.

Booth literally jumped when his phone rang very loudly. He figured he must have accidently turned the volume up. He answered it quickly. "Brennan?"

"Booth!"

"He didn't hurt you did he? 'Cause if he did there-"

"I'm fine, Booth." Brennan insisted. "I don't know where I am though."

"Don't worry about that, Bones, I'll call someone from the FBI and get a track on your location. Just get in a safe place, alright?"

"I can take care of myself, Booth." Brennan said. "I am a safe distance away from the road and I'm going to stay put."

"Good." Booth answered. He took a shaky breath. "Bones…"

"We can discuss today's events later, Booth." Brennan said stoically. She changed topics. "How is Doctor Sweets?"

"He's fine, Bones. Just hold tight, I'll be out to get you shortly." Booth replied.

"Alright, Booth."

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys! Life has been very busy lately. :P Hope you enjoy!_


	16. Names

Booth hung up with Brennan and then dialed a different number.

"Was that Brennan?" Angela asked.

"Ya," Booth answered. He took the phone away from his ear and squinted at the number again. "Sorry I woke you up."

"No problem." Angela answered. "Is she okay?"

"She says she is." Booth replied. "Why don't you call Hodgins and Cam and let them know she's alright. I gotta go track this phone down."

"I will." Angela said.

"Oh and call me if anything changes with Sweets." He said on his way out the door.

"Alright." Angela said quietly. She glanced over the sleeping psychologist in the bed. He hadn't even moved at the commotion. She picked up her phone and called Hodgins first. She waited and eventually got his voice mail. She guessed he was busy with Michael at the moment so she let it slide. She called Cam next. After telling Cam what she knew she hung up and sighed. She looked Sweets over and decided to go get a cup of coffee. Regular coffee.

Seeley Booth knew he was driving ridiculously fast, but he didn't care. He just wanted to find Brennan and find her fast. His GPS was sitting on the dash and was barking at him that he was going the wrong way. But he knew he was going the right way. Or at least he hoped he did.

Taffet wouldn't make it that easy. Oh ya! I'm gonna drop her off in the middle of nowhere with a _cellphone_ so you can track her location and find her! Mmhmm. Of course he would. So that's why when the number came back and it was north of D.C. he headed south. But just in case he had sent agents to the GPS coordinates.

He'd done the math in his head and figured that given the speed he was going he should be at the three hour mark shortly. Taffet would have had to obey the speed limit to make sure he wasn't caught. His picture was _everywhere._ Every cop in a 200 mile radius had been alerted of the situation and pictures had been plastered on TV, the internet, and milk cartons everywhere.

Booth's grip on the steering wheel tightened. He swore if anything happened to Brennan he would wring Taffet's neck. He didn't care how long it took to find him. He was dead meat. The bastard had buried Sweets alive and then threatened Brennan and their baby. He swore the man, if he could be called that, had no soul.

He glanced back at the GPS to check his location. He slowed from his ninety-seven miles an hour to a much safer seventy-two. He glanced along the sides of the road looking for anywhere Brennan might take shelter. He picked up his phone and tried hitting the redial button. He pressed the phone to his ear.

"Booth?" Brennan asked.

Booth sighed with relief inwardly. "Brennan, I need you to describe where you are." He said immediately.

Brennan glanced around from the tree stump she was sitting on. "It's dark, Booth, I can't really see anything."

"No road signs or anything?" Booth asked.

Brennan heard the slight distress in Booth's voice. "It's a heavily wooded area, Booth, on the side of an abandoned dirt road." She got up and started walking down the road again. She looked off to her left. "There's a lake."

"Is there a sign for the lake anywhere?" Booth asked.

"I don't believe so." Brennan stated as she kept walking. "Wait…" she spotted a pole up ahead. She used the light of the phone to read some of the paper flyers that were attached to the telephone pole. "There are some flyers here that have the name Frostburg on them."

Booth kept his phone between his head and his shoulder while he steered the SUV with one hand and messed with the GPS in another. A smile spread across his face. "I'm only about 10 miles away from Frostburg Lake. I'll be there as fast as I can."

The miles quickly flew by and Booth slowed as he saw the lake on his right. He pulled off to the side of the road and got out of his car. "Bones!" he yelled.

"Booth!" Brennan yelled back and ran toward the headlights. She soon found herself in Booth's warm embrace.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Booth asked as he held Brennan close to him.

"I'm fine, Booth." Brennan insisted.

The two stood there in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Bones." Booth started. "I shouldn't have put you through this. It's my fault he got out."

"He took you by surprise. There was nothing you could have done."

Booth released Brennan and put a hand on her abdomen. "I don't want _anything _to happen to this baby or its mother."

"I know, Booth." Brennan said. "You're a great father and protector and I am more than overjoyed to be having a child with you." She put a hand up to cradle the side of Booth's face. "I don't want anything to happen to our baby's father either." Booth smiled. "I love you, Booth."

"I love you too, Bones." Booth said and lifted his free hand to brush some of Brennan's hair behind her ear.

"Cecilia and Andy." Brennan stated suddenly.

"What?" Booth asked as his brows knitted together in confusion.

"While in Taffet's presence I had some time to think about the topic of baby names. I picked without research, but I am rather fond of them."

A smile grew across Booth's face. "And how did you arrive at these conclusions?" he asked in his best squint tone.

"Well Andy is obviously from my books." Brennan started. "And I remember my mother always singing the song Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel when I was a child. But Cecilia also contains the name Seeley, which I thought was rather clever." She smiled at her own joke.

Booth laughed and then bent down to kiss Brennan on the lips.

That's when the shot rang out.

* * *

><p><em>AN: That's right, __SweetSerendipity27, you were right! Something bad was going to happen. :D Nice guess! Thanks for the alerts and reviews, guys/gals! I'm going to try and be more regular again now that I'm back into the school groove. :)_


	17. Shot

Booth felt pain radiate out across his shoulder. He stumbled forward and Brennan kept him from falling. Brennan almost didn't process what happened until she felt the warm blood on his back. Booth gritted his teeth together and caught himself on the car. Another shot resounded and dirt kicked up next to Brennan's foot.

"Get in the car!" Booth yelled.

"Booth, you're hurt!" Brennan protested.

Booth pulled Brennan over with him to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. "Stay down." He hissed as she crawled in.

"Booth, what are you doing?" She yelled at him. Her question was cut short as he slammed the door shut. Booth grunted as he made his way around to the back of the car and poked his head out. It was dark and he couldn't see anything. He recoiled as a bullet ricocheted off of the back of the FBI car. Booth judged the trajectory of the bullet and fired twice in that direction. He heard some laughter. "Nice try, Booth!" a voice mocked.

"Coward!" Booth yelled back and fired again. He leaned against the car and slowly slid down so he was in a sitting position. His breath came in pants.

"What's the matter, Booth? Your shoulder hurt?" Dirt kicked up directly in front of the toe of Booth's shoe.

Booth suddenly realized the mistake he'd made when he hadn't gotten in the car when he'd had the strength. "You're a coward, Taffet." Booth called back. "You only take chances when you know that you have the upper hand and you exploit other people to get what you want." His voice quavered slightly as his energy started leaving him. He could feel the blood draining out of the hole in his shoulder. He struggled to stand up and his hand tried to reach out for the back passenger's door handle. He got a good grip and started pulling himself up.

"Who's the coward now?" Taffet demanded and fired another shot near Booth's feet.

Booth didn't care right now. Now he needed to get Brennan out of here safely. He suddenly pulled himself into a standing position and got a head rush. He found himself back on the ground and in pain. He slapped his hand against the door. "Bones." He called. "Bones!"

The door swung open and Brennan hastily helped Booth into the back seat. Booth sprawled out across the back seats. "Drive." He said groggily.

"Booth, you've been shot I can't just-"

"Drive." He said urgently. " 'f you get shot… my fault…"

Brennan winced and then clambered up to the driver's seat. She slammed the gas pedal down. The car skidded at first and then took off. The back windshield shattered as a bullet tore through and lodged itself in the front passenger's seat headrest.

"Booth, you've got to keep talking to me, okay?" Brennan said from the front.

"M'kay." He mumbled

"How was Taffet able to find us?" Brennan asked. It was the first thing that popped into her mind and therefore, in her panicked state, was the first thing to come out of her mouth.

"Prob'ly planned it before." Booth pressed his back up against the seat to try and keep pressure on his shoulder. He pushed air through his teeth at the staggering pain.

"But he drove away, Booth. When he left me he drove away." Brennan replied. She started fiddling with the GPS as she waited for Booth's response.

"Switched cars… went in a loop… lots of options…" Booth slurred out.

Brennan was glad when she found that the Frostburg General Hospital was not too far away. She went even faster as she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a truck speeding up behind them. "Booth…"

Brennan didn't have to tell him. Booth knew. He struggled to sit upright and grunted with effort as he did so. He leveled his gun on the seat and waited for Taffet to fire first. The shot didn't come. Booth glared in the truck's direction. He tried to see past the headlights and into the window but couldn't. Maybe it wasn't Taffet.

A silent thirty seconds passed.

"What's he doing?" Brennan asked. If it was Taffet he had to have switched vehicles. It wasn't her car that was chasing them.

"Could jus' be a random pers'n." Booth said and slid back down onto the seat. He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them bright square lights were shining down on him. He winced and looked away.

"Booth!" Brennan yelled. "Booth, you're in a hospital, okay?"

Booth groaned and looked around. He was being pushed down a hall on a gurney. A couple nurses and doctors were pushing the cart at a rather fast pace. "How'd we get here?"

"I contravened multiple traffic laws." Brennan replied. "The doctors are going to take you into surgery to remove the bullet."

" 'Kay." He mumbled. He was out before Brennan could say more.

-_Earlier_-

Cam had come back to the hospital when she had received Angela's call and she was glad she did. If she hadn't no one would've been in Sweets' room when he woke up. Angela had left to go gather some things from the Jeffersonian and then go home where she presumed Jack had taken Michael.

Cam had been sitting in the chair beside Sweets' bed when she heard a weak, "Cam?"

She looked over to find Sweets looking at her. A broad smile crossed her face. "Sweets! How're you feeling?"

The psychologist looked confused. "Foggy." He replied.

"The doctors have you on some sedatives." Cam replied. She was surprised Sweets had even been able to wake up in the first place.

"I'm out?" Sweets asked as his eyes started drooping shut again.

"Yes, Sweets." Cam reached over and clasped his hand. "You're safe."

You could see the relief wash over his form as he drifted back to unconsciousness.

-_break_-

Two and a half hours later Booth was out of surgery and fighting with the nurses. "I don't need a sling." Booth protested. "Look all I need is some pain killers and more of that pudding." Brennan heard him from down the hall and was quick to come to the doctors' rescue. Booth was sitting on the edge of the bed in only purple and blue striped socks and a hospital gown. "Bones!" he said happily as she entered. "Would you please tell them that I'm fine and I can go now?" He looked pointedly at the nurse that was holding a blue and white contraption. "_Without _a sling."

Brennan sighed inwardly. "Would you allow us a moment alone, please?" she asked politely. The nurses filed out.

Booth's eyes were pleading. "Please, Bones. I don't need a sling."

"Booth, you got shot. The bullet lodged itself in the infraspinous fossa of the scapula." She saw the lost look on Booth's face. "… your shoulder blade. You had to have surgery to get it removed. They also had to administer a blood transfusion and heavy painkillers. It would be best for you to listen to the doctors."

Booth hung his head. He looked at the far wall. "I… I don't want to wear it because…" he trailed off and looked at the wall again.

"Booth?" Brennan asked gently and walked over to his side.

"I don't want Sweets to know." Booth said softly. Brennan would have missed it if she hadn't been listening. "I don't want Sweets to feel guilty if he sees me in the sling. He'll ask what happened and…" he looked over at Brennan. "I just don't want him to go through anything he doesn't have to."

Brennan could imagine why. She knew some of the mental trauma the psychologist was probably facing. "I'll talk to the nurses." She decided.

"Thanks." Booth said and then looked back at his feet. Brennan turned to leave. "Oh and, Bones?" The anthropologist looked back. "Would you be able to get my spare set of clothes out of my car?"

"Sure, Booth." Brennan agreed and then walked out.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I thought about having Brennan get shot at first. But then Booth would have had to chase Taffet down and kill him right then and there. So this kind of made the playing field a little more even. :) Thanks again for all the reviews guys! They are really appreciated and they help me write the updates. It lets me know your questions and what you're thinking. So please review more! XD_


	18. Emotions

Angela had just arrived at the Jeffersonian. She was just there to pick up a few things and then she was on her way home. She was ready for a nice warm shower and a comfy bed. She was curious to see the lights were on in her office when she walked into the lab. As she walked in she was surprised at what she found.

Next to her couch was Michael contently laying on the floor batting at some toys that were hanging over his head. Next to Michael on the floor was Jack. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and even.

Angela smiled. "My office floor isn't really that comfy." She stated.

Hodgins only stirred slightly. "It is." He protested drowsily.

Angela chuckled and then bent down to scoop Michael up off the floor. "Did daddy leave you all alone on the floor?" she cooed.

"He was asleep before I was." Hodgins mumbled as he sat up.

"I bet he was." Angela replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Is Brennan back yet?" Hodgins asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Booth went to go get her and got in a gun fight with Taffet. Booth got shot in the shoulder and Taffet got away."

Hodgins cursed under his breath. "This Taffet guy is a real piece of work."

"Tell me about it." Angela huffed as she held Michael close.

"Poor, Sweets." Hodgins sighed.

"He's too young. He's gonna have gray hair by the time he's eighteen." Angela complained.

The joke didn't lighten Hodgins' mood. He just leaned back against the couch and looked away. Now that the action was over he had started to think about Sweets more and more. (Not that he hadn't been worrying about him before.) But now his thoughts were drifting more towards his own experience with the Gravedigger. Twenty-four hours underground was a _very _long time. He'd had Brennan. They used their combine efforts to keep each other sane and motivated. Sweets had no one.

"Jack…" Angela could see that look in his eye. She was all too familiar with it.

"Sweets was all alone, Ange. No one to tell him, 'Don't worry, we're getting out of here' or 'The pain will be over soon.' He just laid in that… _box _having what he probably thought were illusions of grandeur." Jack pulled his knees up to his chest and rubbed his scarred leg unconsciously. "He probably sang that song just so he could hear a voice other than the one in his head. And even that wasn't a relief." He swiped a hand across his eyes and then looked over at the artist. "He ran out of air, Ange. When you're down there that is your _worst_ nightmare. It doesn't matter how you got down there or who did it. Air is the one thing you cling to. It's your last connection to the entire world around you. And to lose that connection?" The entomologist sniffled and looked away again. His lip was trembling and tears were falling freely down his face. "Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better to not have been found. To have died down there and have kept those awful nightmares with us so we wouldn't have to bear them day after day after day." He used the couch to stand up and turned to face Angela. "But then I look at you, my beautiful wife, and then Michael, our handsome baby boy that _we _made, and I know it was all worth it." Hodgins took a step forward and put his hand out so Michael could grasp his fingers. "But what does Sweets have? What does Sweets have that he can hold onto to tell him it was worth coming out of that hole alive? Daisy isn't even his girlfriend anymore let alone fiancé, his mom and dad are gone, and he doesn't have any other family." He looked up into Angela's now glassy eyes. "How's he going to tell himself it was worth it?" he repeated.

"He does have family, Jack." Angela said shakily. "We're his family. All of us. Brennan, Booth, Cam, you, me, and even Michael. And we're going to make sure that Sweets gets through this. And he better or you know Booth is going to track that guy down and beat him to a pulp."

"He threatened Booth's baby. I'm surprised he's not dead already." Hodgins replied.

"He's crafty. But if anyone can catch him, it'll be Booth." Angela responded reassuringly.

"I hope so." Hodgins murmured.

-_break-_

Booth had grudgingly agreed to wear the sling on the way from Frostburg back to D.C. Agent Hanson had brought a car over to pick Booth and Brennan up because Booth's car had to be taken for evidence collection and repairs.

Currently Brennan and Booth were sitting in the back of the standard issue black SUV. Booth wasn't allowed to drive because of his shoulder.

"Do you think it's over now, Booth?" Brennan asked.

"I honestly don't know." Booth said and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But he's still out there and I need to catch him."

"After your shoulder heals." Brennan added.

"Your wrist too." Booth replied.

Brennan rubbed the white bandage carefully. The rope had rubbed most of the skin off her wrist. "It wasn't that bad."

"But if you didn't cover it there was a possibility of infection." Booth replied.

Brennan sighed and looked out the window.

Booth looked out the window too when a thought struck him. "What happened after I passed out?"

Brennan looked down at her lap. "Taffet fired at us a few more times then turned and left once we reached town."

"I'm sorry, Bones." Booth apologized.

"It's not your fault." Brennan replied. "If fault were to lie upon anyone it would be Taffet."

Booth suddenly realized how much this must be affecting Brennan. It was dredging up all those old memories that she had compartmentalized and tucked away inside. He had to admit that his thoughts had drifted to that day in the ship more than a few times now. "Taffet is gone, Bones." He said.

"No, he isn't. He's out there somewhere and-"

"_Heather _Taffet. She's gone." Booth pressed. "She's not going to touch any of us ever again." He reached over and squeezed Brennan's hand.

It was silent for a few moments as Brennan debated with herself. She took a deep breath. "Sometimes I still have nightmares about her. About waking up in that car with Hodgins. Usually in the dreams Hodgins is bleeding and you're drowning and there's nothing I can do about it. But Hodgins was there with me. Even you had the hallucination of your Army friend to assist you in your escape. But Sweets had no one." She looked over at Booth with shiny eyes. "He had to lie in that coffin and suffer with no on there to help him."

"Well we're here to help him now and that's all we can do." Booth said but didn't meet Brennan's eyes.

Brennan saw Booth's discomfort, but couldn't interpret what it meant. Her first impression was guilt, but why would Booth feel guilty? He had done everything he could to get Sweets out. Her next impression was shame. But shame about what?

Hanson had listened to the two talk silently. One part of her felt like an eavesdropper while the psychologist part of her twinged. There were so many deep feelings surrounding this case and they needed exposed. They couldn't keep these buried for long.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I really like this chapter and I hope you guys do to. I think it really brings out how Booth, Brennan, and Hodgins are reacting to this. I also really liked the Hodgela moment at the beginning of the chapter. :) Hodgins never really gets any opportunities to express his feelings about his family. Also this is where Agent Hanson is coming into play. Yes, she helped catch Taffet, but this is where she's really needed. And also I need a question answered for future chapters. Swaisy or no Swaisy? I'm kind of neutral on the topic, but wanted to know what you guys thought._


	19. Guilt Trip

Two hours later Booth and Brennan met Cam at the hospital. Cam gave them an update, but left out the part about Sweets waking up. "The doctors are planning on taking him off the sedatives soon, but he's still on a rather strong pain medication. They're also keeping him on oxygen for a while."

"Can I see his charts?" Brennan asked.

"Sure, they're hanging on the end of the bed." Cam turned to face Booth as Brennan walked in. "How's your shoulder, Seeley?"

"It's fine." Booth brushed off quickly.

Cam put a silent hand of comfort on Booth's forearm. She saw he wasn't comfortable so decided not to press the issue. "I was just thinking about something. Has anyone called Daisy?"

"I have Miss Wick's phone number." Brennan said as she came out with a mess of papers. "I don't see why we need to call her though."

"Bones, she's Sweets' girlfriend." Booth replied.

"I thought they were in a flip flop relationship?" Brenan stated quizzically.

"A what?" Cam asked.

"You know. A flip on flip off relationship." Brennan replied.

"It's on again off again, Bones." Booth corrected. "And no matter how many people Daisy is with Sweets is always going to love Daisy."

"I find that statement very hard to believe considering that Doctor Sweets was the one that broke off the engagement." Brennan replied.

"Ya, but Sweets still proposed to her. You don't just get rid of those feelings."

"You did with Hannah."

"That's different." Booth said and shifted awkwardly.

"Would you like me to call Miss Wick?" Brennan asked as she turned to face Cam.

"I'll handle that." Cam said and pulled out her own phone.

Booth wiped a hand down his face. He looked down the hall and saw a vending machine. His stomach suddenly growled rather loudly and he realized how hungry he was. "I'll be right back."

He strolled down the hall and started browsing the brightly packaged items. He licked his lips longingly and dug his hand into his pocket to get his wallet. That's when he realized it wasn't there. His badge was, but not his wallet. He figured he'd left it in his other pair of pants.

His head thunked heavily against the thick plastic that separated him from the delicious unhealthiness. He cursed his luck. He looked behind him and saw a couch. He made the short few steps backwards and fell back onto it. "You're lucky I don't have the energy to shoot you." Booth whispered to the vending machine as he leaned back.

The vending machine stood there in mocking silence.

Booth huffed and closed his eyes. He dropped into sleep almost instantly.

'_Just hold on, Brennan, I'm coming! Okay? Just hold on!' All of my strength was being put into the door handle._

'_Hurry, Booth!' Brennan yelled. Her fist pounded hard against the glass window._

_I backed up a few steps and tried ramming the door with my shoulder but only got pain._

'_Booth, watch out!' Brennan yelled._

_More pain. It came from somewhere above my neck. The room twisted and spun and suddenly I was on the street corner of the Founding Fathers. Anthony Taffet stood over me with a baseball bat. 'You're so pathetic, Agent Booth. You're always trying to be the hero, but you fail every time.'_

_I rolled from my back to my stomach to try and get away. I scrambled up onto my knees and felt the bat again. 'You couldn't even protect the woman that's having your child! Or how about the psychologist? You KNEW!' Another swing of the bat kept me down. 'Remember that day my sister was killed? Who did she ask for in the transport?' Anthony kneeled down and lifted my head up by my hair. 'WHO?' he roared._

'_Sweets.' I managed weakly._

'_Louder!' He pressed down on my bad shoulder._

'_Sweets!' I groaned._

_He rolled me over with a laugh. 'It's your fault.'_

_Just behind Taffet, Brennan appeared. 'Booth?'_

Booth jerked awake when he felt a hand on his arm. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he was still in the hospital.

"Booth?" Brennan asked concernedly.

Booth sat up and put his face in his hands with his elbows resting on his knees. "I was dreaming."

"I am aware of that. I could clearly see your pupils moving rather rapidly and your breathing increase from its normal rate." Brennan replied.

"How long was I out?" Booth asked as he changed the subject.

"Only an hour or so." She held out a box of Chinese take-out. "Cam got some food."

Booth gratefully accepted the box. "How's Sweets?"

"Still unconscious. They took him off the sedatives." Brennan was holding her empty take-out box. "Is that what your dream was about?"

Booth shoved food in his mouth so he didn't have to reply right away. "Sort of."

"You said 'Sweets' while you were sleeping." Brennan replied sternly. "Something is bothering you."

"I'm fine, okay?" Booth replied. "You shoulder be worrying about Sweets right now. Not me."

Brennan stayed silent and stared down at her Chinese box. Her logic told her that Booth had been shot and Sweets had been beaten and buried alive. Booth had been shot before. But she couldn't help but be worried about him more than Sweets. Something else was bothering Booth but she couldn't figure out what. Booth ate his food in silence. He didn't want to have to talk about Sweets anymore. Or himself for that matter. He wanted everything to go back to normal.

"Daisy said she would try and stop over." Brennan said.

"That's good." Booth rubbed at his eyes with his chopstick hand.

Brennan hated the awkward feeling between them but couldn't think of any way to change it. Then she realized what to do. "Baby."

"What?" Booth asked, puzzled.

"Baby. Now what's the first word that comes to mind?" A small smile was on Brennan's face.

"Sperm."

"Egg."

"Dinosaur."

"Parker."

"How'd you get Parker from dinosaur?"

"Male children usually enjoy dinosaurs."

"Hm… Family."

"Sweets."

"Worried.

"Booth."

"Brennan."

The anthropologist sighed. "I don't think this is working."

"What's it supposed to do? Last time it made you want a baby." The G-man replied.

"Maybe…" Brennan stopped. She didn't believe in psychology so why start now? "Psychology is a soft science that doesn't help anyone."

"And if I were Sweets this is where I would say, 'Hmm interesting.' " Booth replied.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, there is going to be some slight Swaisy. In my opinion I think Sweets is way too good for Daisy, but that's not really my choice. :P Anyways enjoy the chapter and thanks for reviews, alerts, and favorites!_


	20. Interesting Developments

"I do not see the interest in that statement." Brennan huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You tried using psychology and when it didn't work you got angry." Booth commented with a smug grin.

"I did not get angry." Brennan protested.

"Yes you did."

"I was simply frustrated." She stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me." She started walking down the hall.

"Where are you going, Bones?" Booth called.

"The bathroom!" Brennan called back.

_-break-_

Daisy Wick was a wreck. Her apartment was stacked with rows and rows of books and papers. She had three chapters of stats to catch up on and a giant research paper due tomorrow. And it hadn't helped her stress level when bloody pieces of Lance's clothing started showing up at her door.

First had been a blue and green striped tie with some blood spatter on it. It had come with the note, 'Don't call the police or FBI.' Next was a blue button down shirt about an hour later with, 'You don't want him to die, do you?' A suit jacket, pants, socks, shoes, and a watch all showed up at varying times throughout the day and night.

Daisy had been sitting on her couch with her knees pulled up to her chest when the news story came on. The headline was 'FBI Psychologist Buried Alive.'

Daisy's stomach dropped and she felt nauseous. The reporter didn't say whether Lance lived or not.

She jumped up and grabbed her car keys. She slid flip flops on her feet and ran out to her car in a tank top and sweats. "No, no, no!" she cried. Her tires had been slashed. She ran back into her apartment to call a cab. Her phone line was dead.

Now what?

That's when Lime in the Coconut started blaring. That was Lance's ringtone! She found her cell phone and picked it up eagerly. "Hello?"

"Ah, Miss Wick, it's nice to talk to you in person."

"Who is this?" Daisy asked with a quaver in her voice.

"The man who buried your boyfriend." There was a loud bang. "Sorry, I'm busy shooting at Agent Booth right now."

Daisy swallowed hard. "What do you want?"

Another loud bang. "You're going to take me to Doctor Lance Sweets. But for now you're just going to sit tight." There were two more bangs and then the line went dead.

Daisy had done just that. She didn't want anyone else getting hurt. Especially if he really had been shooting at Agent Booth.

Two or three hours later a knock sounded on Daisy's apartment door. She opened it to find Anthony Taffet. She recognized him from the pictures on TV.

"What do you want?" Daisy demanded.

"Wait for them to call you." A rifle was slung over his shoulder and he let Daisy know about it. "Now are you going to invite me in?  
>Daisy was angry, but didn't see any other choice. She stepped aside and let Taffet in. He closed the door behind him. "Sit on the couch and don't try anything funny."<p>

Daisy walked over quietly and sat down. She watched as Taffet laid his rifle on the counter in the kitchen, making sure to point it in her direction, and start rooting through her fridge.

A thought struck her then. Cam wasn't FBI or the police. Why hadn't she thought of this before? She scolded herself and carefully took out her phone from her pocket. Before she could do anything it rang shrilly.

"Answer it." Taffet said as oen hand rested on the high power rifle.

"Hello?" Daisy answered.

"Hi, Daisy, it's Cam."

"Oh hi. Is something wrong?" Daisy asked.

"Um actually, Daisy, something happened with Sweets. He's okay now, but he's in the hospital."

"Is it bad?" Daisy squeaked.

"I just really think you should be here." Cam replied.

"I can try." Daisy squeaked again.

"Alright, well he's at Presby."

"Oh, Washington Street right?" Daisy asked.

"Um no, James."

"Okay. Meet you in the lobby."

"Call me when you get here."

_Click._

Cam hung up, very confused.

"There!" Daisy yelled. "He's at General. Are you happy now?"

Taffet grimaced. "I need to know what room."

"Then call them! You got what you came for!" Daisy stood up as anger surged through her and tears sprang to her eyes. She was tired of this.

Taffet's eyes narrowed. "Sit down." He said forcefully.

"Or what?" Daisy snapped.

"I'll shoot you."

Daisy grimaced and sat back down. A plot started developing in her mind. Lance was safe in the hospital. What was stopping her from calling the police now? Her hand reached into her pocket and dialed three digits. 9-1-1.

_-Present-_

"What do you mean you're calling me out? I'm off shift and I have a bullet hole in my shoulder!" Booth whisper yelled into the phone. "I don't care! I'm limited to desk-" He stopped midsentence. Brennan saw the change in his composure. Booth glanced from Brennan to Sweets and back. "Alright. I'm on my way." He clicked his phone shut.

"What is it, Booth?" Brennan asked.

"There's a hostage situation a few miles from here. Taffet's there." Booth replied stoically. He winced as his sling-less arm moved his phone from his ear to his pocket he then held it there stiffly. "You stay here and let me know if he wakes up."

"Alright." Brennan replied. Booth stopped at the door as Brennan added, "Get him, Booth."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm back! :D School and sports have really been keeping me busy. And just to make this clear, the whole Daisy part is taking place in the past. I tried to correlate it with other major events so you could piece together when exactly. But yes, I hate Daisy so much I made her a key character in my story. XD Don't you love it when that happens?_


	21. Negotiations

When Special Agent Seeley Booth pulled into the crime scene people knew who was in charge. As he jumped out of his SUV, Agent Shaw ran up to meet him. "What's the status?" he asked.

"We have snipers that have confirmed movement inside the apartment and we've established a phone line. Other than that nothing's happened, sir." Shaw replied as she lengthened her stride to keep up with the man.

"Do we know who the hostage is?"

"The apartment belongs to a Miss Daisy Wick, but we can't-"

Booth stopped in his tracks. "Did you just say Daisy Wick?"

Shaw held back a gulp at the anger in his voice. "Yes, sir."

Booth strode off faster than he had before. His right hand flew up in exasperation. "Daisy Wick is Sweets' girlfriend! Does no one do background checks these days?"

"Sir, we haven't confirmed it's her yet." Shaw replied.

"I want to talk to him." Booth replied as he reached the yellow tape and ducked under it.

"I'll get the phone to you right now, sir." Shaw said and then ran off to find out where their phone line was.

"Agent Booth!" Someone called. Booth stopped and turned. It was Hanson. "Let me talk to him." She said as she jogged up.

"I think I can handle this." Booth replied stubbornly.

"You're too close, Booth." Hanson replied. "And besides, I'm a profiler and a trained negotiator. I can get inside his head. You're what he wants, Agent Booth, and I can use that against him."

Booth grimaced. "Fine, but I'm listening in."

"Of course."

Shaw came running over with the phone. Hanson took it. She waited for Booth to be connected. "Is there a floor plan of the apartment?"

Agent Shaw nodded. "It's over here." She lead them over to a table that had been set up. Floor plans were laid out in various formats and expensive looking equipment had been brought out. Various techs were currently running these machines. Hanson looked at the floor plan and then hit the call button. The phone started ringing. On the third time a man picked up. "What is it now?"

"Anthony Taffet, this is Special Agent Hanson with the FBI."

"I know, I know. The FBI has us surrounded, snipers are in place, and all that nice junk." Anthony replied.

"I'm glad you know the position you're in." Hanson replied calmly. "I was wondering if we could talk to Miss Daisy Wick." She stated it. She wouldn't allow uncertainty to be in her voice.

Anthony sighed. "If you must." There was a rustling and then a small voice came through the phone.

"H-hello?" She stuttered.

"Miss Wick? This is Agent Hanson with the FBI. Are you alright?" She asked with a glance up at Booth.

"I'm fine." Daisy gulped. She was sitting on a bar stool in the center of her living room with one of her hands zip tied to the stool. Her furniture had been pushed around so that all the windows were blocked and the door was barricaded. Her mouth had been duct taped moments before.

"Listen, Daisy, we are going to get you out of there, alright?"

"Okay."

"Is Taffet listening in?" Hanson asked next.

"No." Daisy breathed back.

"Good. Daisy, if anything happens you flatten yourself against the floor. Got it?"

"Yes." Daisy replied.

"Alright, I'm going to read off the room names and say yes when I get to the room you're in."

"Okay."

"Bathroom, Bedroom, Kitchen, Living room-"

"Yes." Daisy replied then asked, "Is Lance okay?"

"Doctor Sweets is fine. He's doing very well." The Agent answered.

There was some more rustling. "You've talked enough. Now ask your real question."

"What do you want?" She asked fiercely.

"What do I want? I want a just world." Taffet snarled back.

"Let's be realistic here." Hanson fired.

"Fine, Agent Booth alone and unarmed."

Hanson let out a coarse laugh. "Come on, Taffet, I said realistic. When you come up with something give me a ring." She then proceeded to hang up.

"What are you doing?" Booth asked

"He's a classic narcissist with a twist of sadism. He won't be able to stand being ignored." Hanson replied.

"That sounded like a drink cocktail." Booth stated

"Everything he's done so far has been to draw attention to himself. Therefore, he's a narcissist. He also enjoys causing others pain. Sadism."

Almost as if on cue the phone rang. "Agent Hanson." She stated as she picked up the phone.

"Don't you hang up on me again or I'll -!"

Hanson ended the call again. Booth winced. If Daisy died because of this so called profiler he was going to wring her neck. The phone started ringing again almost instantly.

"Are you done having your temper tantrum?" Hanson asked.

"I was _not_having a temper tantrum." Anthony shot back.

"You're not getting Booth alone so forget it. Think of something more reasonable and I might be able to work it out."

It was silent for a moment.

"I'll send the girl out." He decided.

Hanson was wary. "What would you like in return?" Hanson knew that Anthony knew they couldn't refuse an offer to release a hostage unless it was outrageous.

"Lance Sweet's room number."

"You've had your fun with Doctor Sweets. Why not target someone else?" Hanson questioned.

"The room number. You have ten minutes." Anthony hung up without another word. He glanced over at Daisy who was pulling desperately at the zip tie holding her to the chair.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry this chapter took so long, guys! I was having trouble deciding where to go with this plot. But it's all ready now and hopefully I should have a few chapters posted in a short span of time! Ideas are always welcome though! :D_

_Sneak Peak: Brennan and Sweets fluff in the next chapter. ;)_


	22. Plans and Scars

The ten minute mark was slowly approaching. Booth, Hanson, and Shaw were still standing around the computer with the floor plan readouts, the command center. Booth had his eyes closed and a hand pinching the bridge of his nose in concentration as various situations played out through his mind. Shaw and Hanson were discussing something about the apartment layout.

"Why don't we just give him the room number? He doesn't know what hospital." Booth asked as he opened his eyes.

"He probably does which is why he only asked for the room number." Hanson replied.

Booth wiped a hand down his face. "We just give him the number and he gives us Daisy? Doesn't that seem too easy?"

"It does." Hanson agreed.

Booth thought for a moment. "He doesn't plan on getting out of this."

"I thought about that. If he gets rid of his leverage what's stopping us from sniping him?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly what scares me." Hanson replied. She stared at the floor plan. "What's this right here?" She pointed to something in the bathroom.

"It's an access panel to get under the floor for plumbing." Shaw said as she examined the plan closer.

"Do all of the apartments have that?" Booth asked.

That's when Hanson knew they both had the same idea.

_-break-_

Brennan was reading a magazine when she heard a slight mumbling. She looked up and saw Sweets shifting rather restlessly. She set the magazine down and reached out to touch Sweets' hand. "Doctor Sweets?"

Sweets' eyes snapped open in a panic and his hand jerked away from Brennan's. It took a moment for him to process where he was.

"Doctor Sweets?"

Sweets looked over towards the voice. "Doctor Brennan!" His voice was a tad hoarse, but excited.

Brennan smiled slightly. "It's good to see you awake."

"It's nice to hear a voice other than my own." Sweets admitted.

Later Brennan would blame her pregnancy hormones were to blame. She leaned over and gave the psychologist a hug, but was careful not to put any pressure against his shoulder or collarbone.

Sweets was surprised at first but soon wrapped his good arm around Brennan. His lip quivered furiously. He knew from their therapy sessions that it would take a deep concern for Brenna to show this type of affection publicly.

Brennan released the psychologist. "Booth was here, but he had to handle something."

Sweets nodded and cleared his throat. "Can I have some water?"

"Sure." Brennan said and got up to get the pitcher.

Sweets glanced down and noticed the white gauze on his chest. "Did they have to do surgery?"

"Yes, the bone shifted enough that surgery had to be performed." Brennan handed Sweets the plastic cup.

Sweets eagerly gulped down some water. "Where are we?"

"The Presbyterian Hospital. I would have preferred General, but with your condition the way it was it was best you went to the nearest hospital.

Sweets winced slightly and looked away.

"Are you alright, Sweets?" Brennan asked. "I can go get a doctor…"

"No! Uh ya… um… I'm fine." Sweets glanced at his feet. "It's just that… I remember the ambulance ride. Every word from the time Booth pulled me out to when I passed out is stuck up here." He pulled a hand up to his aching head. Booth's panicked tone rang through his ears. He remembered how it had scared him. If Booth was panicking it wasn't good. He also remembered the painful experience of his memories coming back. Sweets looked down again at the white gauze and noticed something else. Something a lot more painful.

His face turned bright red as he tried to move his hospital gown so it was completely covering his shoulders.

"Sweets." Brennan said and gently reached out to grab his wrist. "We all have them. And I've seen them before, remember?"

Sweets' face flushed even more. "They're embarrassing." He mumbled.

"How old were you when you received them?" Brennan asked bluntly.

Sweets met Brennan's gaze. "3."

"Then obviously there was no way you could have stopped them from being inflicted or have known what caused the harsh treatment." Brennan squeezed Sweets' wrist. "There is _nothing_embarrassing about that."

A small smile spread across Sweets' face. "Thanks, Doctor Brennan."

"You are more than welcome, Doctor Sweets."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Kind of a short chapter, but it was either short or super uber long. I like it short though. :) Sweets and Brennan fluff has been delivered!_


	23. The Idea

Booth was pacing. He was starting to regret this already.

"Ready, Shaw?" Hanson asked into her mic that was connected on a spiral wire up to her ear.

Agent Genny Shaw was in a very small cramped space. She was the only one small enough to fit down here. "Ready." She replied quietly. Her hand was grasping a latch. She was tensed and ready to spring into action when the command was given.

Hanson picked up the phone. The answer was almost instant. "Made up your mind?"

"We're giving you the room number _after_Miss Wick is safely in our hands." Hanson replied forcefully.

Anthony huffed. "Fine. I'll send her out now." _Click._

"Now, Shaw." Booth said. He was tense.

Shaw heard Booth loud and clear in her ear. She slowly and quietly pulled the latch. There was a very soft click. She pushed up and the access panel lifted silently out of the floor. She quickly pulled herself up onto the bathroom floor and then clicked the panel back into place. Using the key she had been supplied with she locked it, just in case Taffet knew about the panel too. Using the mirror on the far wall she made sure no one was in the hallway before she took out her gun and made her way towards the door.

Shaw could hear noises coming from where the floor plan said the living room was. She carefully ducked into the kitchen space and crouched behind the counter. Carefully, she listened to what was going on.

"You're sick. You know that?" Daisy spat.

"Shut up. You're getting out of here." Taffet spat back.

"I'm going to tell them everything you said. I hope you know that." Daisy replied.

"Go ahead." Taffet replied calmly. "Let's just hope your friends give me the information I want."

"They won't." Daisy replied. "They care for Lance. They're not just going to give you his room number."

"I think they will." Taffet replied. Shaw heard a snap. "Now go move that stuff from in front of the door."

"What do you want with his room number anyways? You already know what hospital, you could just call and ask them." Daisy replied.

"Let's just say I'm going to pay him a visit."

Shaw winced. She heard the sound of furniture being shifted and knew Daisy was away from the living room. But where was Taffet? _'__Keep__him__talking,__Daisy.__' _She said to herself.

"What are you going to do to him?" Daisy asked quietly.

"Nothing you need to know." Taffet replied.

Taffet was still in the living room.

Booth paced anxiously in front of the table. Nothing had been coming through on Shaw's comm unit. "We've got movement, sir." One of the techs said. Booth looked over their shoulder. A camera was zoomed in on a window on the other side of the building. The curtain had moved slightly and the shape of a person could be made out. The curtain moved to the side slightly and you could see Anthony Taffet. He quickly shut it again.

Booth looked up in time to see the door of the apartment opening. Daisy quickly walked out and then shut the door quickly. "Daisy is out of the building. Daisy is out." Booth said into his comm unit. Hanson tensely listened for a response.

Agent Shaw stood up with her gun raised. She pointed where she had last heard Taffet at. "FBI, put your…" she trailed off. Where was Taffet?

_Wham._

Before Shaw realized what was happening she was on the floor. Her hand instinctively reached back for her gun. She felt a heavy weight press against her arm and twist it at an awkward angle. She hissed in pain and flipped over.

Taffet, who had not been expecting the sudden movement, toppled over as Shaw slid out from under his foot. His rifle toppled from his hands and smashed against the ground.

All Booth and Hanson heard was some odd rustling.

Shaw managed to get on top and dug her elbow into a pressure point in Taffet's back. Taffet recoiled sharply with his elbow and caught Shaw in the chin. Shaw landed flat on her back with stars flashing in front of her eyes. Taffet, not living by normal human standards, continued to attack Shaw as she was senseless. Shaw took a hard blow to the diaphragm causing her breath to leave her. She sat there like a fish out of water, gulping for air that wouldn't come. Her hand desperately reached for her gun.

"Something is wrong." Booth said. "Shaw should have said something by now."

"Maybe Taffet isn't alone?" Hanson suggested.

"If she doesn't say anything in ten seconds-"

He was cut off by the sound of two gun shots. Booth and Hanson took off with a couple SWAT agents not far behind them. Another gun shot rang out.

Shaw was panting heavily. An arm was wrapped around her abdomen as pain coursed through it. The other was straight out pointing at the downed Taffet. "It's called Kevlar, bastard." She spat out.

Taffet growled and struggled to sit up.

"Move one more inch and I'll put another bullet in your side." Shaw growled menacingly.

The sound of the door being busted down drew Taffet's attention. Shaw kept her gaze on Taffet. "Over here!" she called. She winced as she inhaled deeply.

Booth came pounding over. "You alright, Agent Shaw?"

"I took two to the vest, sir." She replied.

He gave her a grimace. "We'll talk later."

"Yes, sir." She replied meekly.

Booth glanced down at Taffet and noted with satisfaction that he was making a puddle of blood on the floor. Booth rolled him over with his foot. Taffet hissed. Booth pulled his cuffs out. He knelt down and roughly pulled Taffet's hands behind his back. "The following rights would apply to you if you were a normal human being. You have the right to remain silent…" he rattled off the rights without thinking about it. All he cared about was the satisfying clink of the handcuffs, the defeated and pained look on Taffet's face, and the relief. It was over. Soon enough Taffet would be someone else's problem. He'd be arraigned by the District Attorney and then locked up until his trial. Booth quickly led/shoved him out of the room, not caring that he was bleeding all over the place. He could meet the paramedics on ground level. The ones rushing up to the room could be Shaw's.

Hanson was kneeling beside Shaw. "Where are you hit?"

Shaw winced as she removed the arm she had wrapped around herself. "One to the right ribs and the right side of my chest."

"Alright. Now hold still while I get your vest off." Hanson instructed.

Shaw kept as still as possible. A paramedic came over. "What's your name, hun?" the paramedic asked.

"Genny Shaw." She replied with a wince. "Watch it!"

"Hold still!" Hanson shot back.

Booth had Taffet sitting in the ambulance. His wrist was handcuffed to the gurney and his opposite ankle was handcuffed to a bar in the ambulance. He was not going anywhere. Booth gave a taunting wave at Taffet. A smug smile was on his face. "I told you I'd hunt you down." He said in a sing song voice and then turned on his heel. Anthony Taffet's curses were like music to his ears. He then went over to check on Daisy. She was sitting on the edge of the other ambulance with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"How are you feeling?" Booth asked and sat beside the intern.

"Fine." Daisy said with a sigh. "I'm highly annoyed. He had the… the _nerve_to black mail me! Me of all people! I don't have any connections with anyone? Yes, I'm highly intelligent and yes I work with Doctor Brennan who is also very highly intelligent, but that doesn't mean people have the right to black mail me!" She huffed and blew hair out of her eyes.

Booth was glad Daisy was rambling like always. "He did it because of your connection to Sweets."

"Ya, I guess so." Daisy replied.

"You're going to have to go with someone so they can take your statement. Is that alright?" Booth asked.

Daisy nodded.

"Good, I'll be up there. If you need me just yell."

"Thank you, Agent Booth." Daisy replied.

"Welcome." Booth responded and then headed for the stairwell.

* * *

><p><em>AN: And the next chapter has been postificated! :D I'm going to try and wrap this up before NaNoWriMo so be prepared for some rapid fire mode. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites, guys/gals! They really mean  
>a lot!<em>


	24. Surprise

Booth was about halfway up the stairs when his cell phone rang. He instantly recognized Brennan's number. "Hey, Bones!" He greeted cheerily.

"Err… this isn't Doctor Brennan."

Booth stopped. His brows knitted together. "Sweets?"

"Hi…" he said awkwardly.

Booth's confused expression quickly changed. "Sweets! How are you feeling?"

"Sore."

"That's good!" Excitedly, Booth started back up the stairs again.

"I guess."

"Bones was supposed to call me when you woke up." Booth said.

"Agent Perotta is here. She said you were busy and you sent her over just in case things went sour with… with Taffet." Sweets replied.

It didn't take a psychologist to recognize the tone in his voice. "Don't worry, kid. Everything's over." Booth said reassuringly.

"So you got him right?" Sweets blurted out. The burst caused an avalanche. " 'Cause I remember in the ambulance you told me that you got him and then Brennan said that he broke out, she got held hostage and you got shot and then she said you had to go to _another_ hostage situation because Taffet got away and Perotta told me where the hostage situation was and I thought of Daisy and then she told me-"

"Sweets." Booth cut him off. Sweets took a large inhale of air as he stopped. "We got him, Sweets. Agent Shaw shot him. And Daisy is perfectly fine."

"That's good." Sweets squeaked. "Is he still alive?"

"Yes." Booth replied.

It was silent for a few seconds. "Doctor Brennan wants to talk to you." Sweets handed over the phone to the anthropologist. His stomach was tied in knots and he could feel a dull thudding start in his head. He figured it was an effect from the mild concussion he had. He didn't bother to listen to Doctor Brennan and Booth's conversation. He just played with a loose string on his blanket.

"You've apprehended Taffet?" Brennan asked.

"Yes." Booth replied and then quickly switched the subject. "Why'd you tell Sweets about me getting shot? That's why I wasn't wearing the sling! It's going to make him feel guilty!"

"Sweets wished to know what was going on. So I briefly went over what happened after we found him. I'm an award winning author, Booth, I think I know how to give a summary without revealing key plot details."

"And you didn't think me getting shot was a key detail?"

"I skipped over some of the details of that event." Brennan replied. "And I did not tell him about our _surprise_either." She was proud of herself for using the code word they had established a while ago.

"Ah." Booth slapped his forehead as he stopped in the doorway of the apartment. "I spilled the beans."

"What beans? I thought you were still at the crime scene?"

"No, Bones, I told Angela, Hodgins, and Cam about the baby! When you got taken and he threatened the baby… I just…" Booth ran a hand through his hair.

"Angela already knew." Brennan admitted.

"Why am I not surprised?" Booth groaned. "That means Hodgins knew too."

"Just because Angela knew does not mean Hodgins does." Brennan defended.

"They're married, Bones. Of course Hodgins knows!" Booth emphasized. "Look, I gotta go, Bones. Just hold off on telling Sweets about the surprise for now, alright? I want to see the look on his face!" He chuckled. "Oh, and keep an eye on him, will ya? He's still dealing with this whole situation and I-"

"I got this, Booth."

"Alright, Bones." Booth replied with a smile. He then clicked his phone shut. He walked over to where Agent Shaw was still sitting. She had her shirt pulled up so it exposed her ribs. They were black and blue already. Hanson was discussing something with a SWAT agent nearby. Booth crouched down beside the new agent as the paramedic prodded gently along Shaw's ribs. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, sir." Shaw replied.

"Enough with the sir crap." Booth said. Shaw nodded tersely. "Look you did a great job today, don't get me wrong, but you need to let us know when you're in trouble."

Shaw was reminded of a father scolding his child for riding their bike to fast and scraping their knee. It wasn't her fault Taffet had hit her with the butt of his gun. "With all due respect, I didn't exactly have time." She replied.

Booth nodded. "I trust your judgment. This happens again though and I'm putting you on desk duty and surveillance for two weeks. You got that?"

"Loud and clear."

"Good. Get those ribs fixed up. I expect you to keep to light duty for a while." Booth got up to leave.

"Agent Booth?"

"Yes?" One of his eyebrows lifted in question.

"How's Doctor Sweets?" A rosy tint came to her cheeks.

"He's good." Booth replied with a knowing smirk. It only made Shaw's cheeks turn a deeper crimson. "I'll let him know you asked." He winked and walked away before Shaw could protest.

_-break-_

Sweets knew something was up as soon as Booth strode in with his chest puffed out. The micro expressions on his face pointed to something. Brennan's face was harder to read. He could only pick happiness off of it. But now everyone was here... except Daisy. Hodgins and Angela were sitting at Sweets' right, but their baby was missing. Cam, being the kidnapper, was standing across the room holding said child. Brennan was sitting to Sweets' left. The same place she'd been for the last few hours.

"Wow, this place is packed." Booth said as he closed the door behind him.

"Tell me about it. I'm feeling claustrophobic." Hodgins replied. Angela elbowed him in the side in a teasing manner.

"I'm sure Sweets is glad to have the company. This place is so boring." Angela complained.

Sweets showed his dimples as a smile crossed his face. "I totally agree."

Brennan gave Booth a look. Booth nodded. "Well, everyone, I have an announcement to make." Brennan said. She looked at Angela who was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "And actually, Sweets is the only one who _doesn__'__t_know."

Sweets' brow scrunched together in confusion. How could Angela know without everyone else knowing?

"I said something before, but the circumstances weren't that great." Booth added.

This confused the psychologist even more. Cam almost laughed at Sweets' expression. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything.

Brennan looked at Sweets with a huge smile on her face. She took a deep breath and then announced, "I'm pregnant."

Sweets' mouth dropped open in surprise. "What?"

Cam couldn't help it. She busted out laughing.

"Well who's the-" he cut himself short. Booth's smug expression said it all. "Booth?" He squeaked out.

"We're having a baby!" Booth said with a wide grin. His face was lit up like a Christmas tree.

Sweets was still stunned, but a large smile was on his face. "That's awesome!" he burst out. "Congrats!" He looked around the room. "You guys all knew and didn't tell me?"

"I just found out earlier today." Cam said defensively.

Sweets' gaze went to Angela. She threw her hands up. "I was _not_giving this one up."

"So do you have names picked out?" Sweets asked Brennan. He couldn't help an 'I told you so' feeling rise up in him. He knew that one day they would finally realize their feelings for each other _and_ embrace them.

"Woah, hold up there. I would like to do some research before we begin our debate." Booth said and gave Brennan a look.

"That's what I… Oh! You are using irony." Brennan said sheepishly.

The room burst into laughter with some congratulations echoing over top.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Surprise! :D Haha. I'm really sad that we don't get to see Sweets' reaction to the BB baby in the show. Since Brennan is already heavily pregnant when the show starts that means all the characters know already. Oh well! That's what fanfiction is for! _

_**8 DAYS 'TILL THE SEASON 7 PREMIERE! WHO ELSE IS PUMPED?**_


	25. Remembering

Daisy Wick had called ahead to see if anyone was with Sweets. It was late and knowing Lance he had probably insisted that everyone go home and that he could handle himself. Truth be told, she knew he'd need the quiet to sort out his thoughts. When no one answered the phone she knew her assumptions were correct.

She herself was still not completely recovered from the situation earlier that day. She didn't know if she'd be able to go back to her apartment yet and had reserved a room at a hotel for the night. She knew it was a childish act, but she just couldn't go back there. Not yet.

She made it to the hospital and found out what room Lance was in. She thanked the receptionist and headed to the elevator. The elevator seemed to take forever to come down and when she finally got in it seemed to take an even longer forever for it to go up three floors. Daisy exited and noted that the music playing had totally been her graduating class's theme song. She found the room Lance was in and peered through the small window in the door.

The first thing Daisy noticed were the various machines he was hooked up to. He still had the heart monitor, the tubes in his nose, and the IV in his wrist. He was sleeping soundly despite the discomfort she was sure the tubes were causing.

Daisy entered the room quietly. She took a step forward and closed the door behind her. She looked over Lance again and then moved over to sit on the edge of his bed. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. She then sighed and brushed some stray curls to the side. How could anyone have done this to Lance? All he ever did was help people. And what did he get in return? A torturous 24 hours in a coffin and a lifetime of nightmares.

Daisy sighed and grasped his hand in both of hers. Sweets' groggy eyes pulled themselves open. He looked up at Daisy and smiled. Daisy put her hand up to his face. Sweets pressed against the warm sensation.

"Do me a favor, Lancelot. _Never_ do that again."

"I'll try." Sweets replied.

"You better." Daisy scolded. She half smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit sore." Was all Sweets would admit. It sounded better than, 'Oh you know, my lungs are burning every time I take a breath and my shoulder hurts like the dickens. The usual.'

"What about up here?" Daisy tapped her finger on Sweets forehead.

Sweets looked away from Daisy at a window that had suddenly caught his attention. "It's had better days."

Daisy nodded knowing Sweets would open up with time.

They sat in silence for a few minutes just enjoying each other's company. Sweets would never admit it, but he didn't like being here alone at night. Especially without a gun. Sweets wasn't the violent type, but the whole situation had changed his view on carrying a firearm. And Daisy was glad that Lance wasn't trying to profile her and figure out what was wrong, the true reason behind her after midnight visit.

"Daisy…" Sweets said suddenly. "I just… things have been…" he stuttered to get his thoughts out.

"Look, Lance," Daisy waited for eye contact from the psychologist. She squeezed his hand with hers. "I know what you're trying to say and I've been thinking about the same thing. I'm happy with just being friends. I don't want anything to ruin our friendship. Besides…" her cheeks turned red as she admitted, "I'm already married to my job. And you need someone to really be married to."

Sweets' cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. He nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Lancelot." She said and kissed his forehead again. "Now go back to sleep. You need it." She got up and left.

Sweets sighed as the door closed. He hoped Daisy's visit would keep off the nightmares for a while.

_-break-_

Booth arrived at the hospital at around eight in the morning. He walked into Sweets' room and found him sitting up nibbling on a biscuit. A tray of food was sitting beside him, practically untouched. Booth didn't blame him though. He knew how cruddy the food was here.

"Agent Booth! You look well rested." Sweets greeted with a smile.

"Wish I could say the same for you too, Sweets." Booth said lightly as he pulled a chair over. "I thought I told you not to watch Star Wars all night."

Sweets smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't help myself." He replied.

Booth knew it wasn't Star Wars that had most likely kept the geek up at night. "So what part of Star Wars has you awake at night?"

"Oh you know…" Sweets dodged and looked away. He took another small bite out of his biscuit that Booth now saw was lathered with butter.

"Look, Sweets, I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but you need to know that you have three people who have had similar situations-"

"They're not similar." Sweets snapped. He instantly regretted it as he saw the guilt flash through Booth's eyes.

"I'm just trying to help, kid." Booth said gently.

Sweets put the rest of his biscuit back on the tray as a large lump formed in his throat. He swallowed hard and looked away from Booth. "I remember." He whispered coarsely. "The rohypnol… It didn't completely wipe out my memories."

Booth nodded grimly. He'd sadly had enough experience with the date rape drug. He knew what it did to people.

Sweets took a shaky breath before beginning. "I remember the whole thing from when I started feeling the effects of the rohypnol in front of the Founding Fathers. He dragged me into a van or something. Next thing I knew I was at my place." He wiped his good hand across his eyes. "He beat me and told me I was worthless and that all of this was happening because my friends didn't care." A flash of fury went through Booth. That man (if he could be called that) had no right. "After… after I blacked out again he… uh… he pulled me out of a truck. He was talking to me, but I can't remember what he was saying. I try, but I just can't." Sweets' voice rose an octave as he recalled the memory. He closed his eyes and took a breath to try and steady his breathing.

Booth put a hand on Sweets' knee. "You don't have to keep going, Sweets."

"No." Sweets said firmly. His eyes met Booth's. "I need to get this out."

Booth nodded.

"When he was moving me all I could think about was that I couldn't move on my own. I guess it was the rohypnol. Then he dragged me over to a hole in the ground and dumped me in. I… I remember my collar bone snapping." Booth winced. "I… er… passed out and when I woke up I couldn't remember anything. I couldn't even remember whether I was at the Founding Fathers or not or who was there with me." He stopped and bit his lip hard.

"You're going to get through this, Sweets. And you're not going to have to do it alone." Booth said.

Sweets just nodded.

"Now eat that biscuit before I do." Booth commanded.

Sweets chuckled slightly. "Alright, _dad._"

_-break-_

"Sweets, are you su-"

"Yes, Agent Booth, I'm sure." Sweets retorted. His sock clad feet slid carefully into his sneakers. It was three days since he'd been admitted and he was more than anxious to get out of there. Getting dressed had been a pain, but now all that was left was standing up. Sweets pushed himself off the bed with his good arm and Booth grasped Sweets' upper arm to steady him. He wobbled slightly.

"You alright?" Booth asked.

"I'm fine. Let's just get this over with." Sweets replied.

Booth nodded and lead Sweets to the door. It swung open silently and they were greeted by the Jeffersonian crew.

Sweets smiled as some confetti rained down. He saw Angela holding a bag filled with the colorful strips of paper. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Congratulating you on your prison break." Hodgins answered with a grin.

Brennan noticed the tight grip Booth had on Sweets' arm and the psychologist's pale complexion. She knew his leave was premature, but didn't want to storm on his march.

Sweets chuckled. "I'm just glad to get out of here."

"We don't blame you Sweets." Angela replied.

"So I hear you're staying with Doctor Brennan and Booth for a few days." Cam stated.

"After much debate." Sweets replied.

"I think it's a good choice." Cam said with a smile as she glanced Dr. Brennan's way.

"Alright, enough chit chat, let's get moving." Booth said with a hint of sarcasm.

Angela tossed a few handfuls of confetti as Booth turned Sweets toward the elevator. Sweets laughed as Hodgins grumbled about having to clean it up. Once the elevator doors closed Sweets slumped back against the wall. "Thanks, Booth."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Is this the last chapter? D: It may be! Or could I have an epilogue up my sleeve? Haha. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites, people! It means a lot to me. And I'm not sure if I'll write another for real chapter before the epilogue or not. Whatever comes to me, I guess! Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! :D_


	26. The News Special

Sweets had been quite amused when he found out that Doctor Brennan and Agent Booth were living together. Then he realized he'd have to deal with them both 24/7 until Doctor Brennan was happy with his recovery. He sighed inwardly. This was going to be a long couple days.

He was currently sitting on the couch in Booth's apartment. He was dully skipping through channels on the TV.

"Hey, Sweets, are you hungry?" Booth called from the kitchen. They'd just arrived at the apartment about an hour ago. Booth had figured that now that Sweets was settled in he'd whip up some grub.

"Kind of." Sweets replied. A news channel flashed on and he saw a picture of himself in the top right corner.

"Good! Because I am going to make the best grilled cheese you'll ever eat in your entire life."

"Uh huh." Sweets responded dully. His attention was on the screen. The news wouldn't filter out parts of the story that it thought might offend him. Sweets still didn't know the full story about Brennan's abduction or about Daisy's hostage situation.

The title of the one hour special was 'Accounts of The Gravedigger.' (Sweets wasn't sure how a story like this could be called a special.) The reporter was saying how some details had not been released due to privacy, but that Dr. Lance Sweets of the FBI had been buried alive only to be saved by the same group of people who had worked on the case of Heather Taffet. Pictures of Brennan, Hodgins, and Booth flashed onto the screen. They said how this case had probably reopened old wounds for previous victims of the _original _Gravedigger. And then they went to the new Gravedigger. Everyone was interested in the acts of the brother of Heather Taffet. It varied from how he used a common date rape drug to black-mailing the victim's girlfriend with pieces of clothing.

Sweets was unaware that Booth was talking to him, and both Booth and Sweets were unaware that Brennan had silently entered the apartment. "You know, Sweets, you don't have to be shy. You don't have to say you're not hungry and not eat food because you think you're taking advantage of me. I know! I'm a good resource to take advantage of and I do make excellent food, but that's beside the point. Mi casa is su casa! … Sweets?" He flipped the sandwiches that were on the griddle. "Sweeeeets?" he called again.

Sweets suddenly saw picture of where he'd been buried. The picture was from a distance away. You could see the ambulance, FBI standard issue SUVs, and some vans. What stood out the most to Sweets though was the sign with the name of the cemetery.

That's when Booth made his entry. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he'd put a cooking apron on. He glanced from Sweets' expression to what was on the TV screen.

"Why did you tell me?" Sweets demanded with a sudden burst of anger as he stood up.

"I don't know what you're-"

"That's where my parents are buried!" He pointed to the TV screen. He was livid. "That… that _monster _buried me beside my parents and you didn't bother to tell me?" Sweets' eyes were welling up with tears but he still kept his offensive position.

Booth chewed his lower lip as he tried to think of the right answer. "I just… I didn't want to upset you."

"Ya, well you can see how well that worked!" Sweets retorted.

"Look I think we need to ease into this, alright? Just take the whole thing little bits at a time." Booth eased his way towards Sweets with his hands up in a passive gesture.

Sweets' hand went to his chest. "You didn't think that I needed to know that?" His bottom lip quivered. "You didn't think that I need to know that I was twenty feet away from the bodies of my parents? That if I wouldn't have…" the words caught in Sweets' throat. He cleared it and continued. "That if I wouldn't have made it I probably would have been buried in the exact same cemetery?"

Booth grasped hold of Sweets' shoulders with both of his hands, but was careful not to touch the kid's injuries. "Look at me, Sweets."

His chocolate eyes were shiny and a tear had spilled over onto his cheek. Sweets stared hard at the G-man. What gave him the right to withhold this kind of information from him?

Booth saw the question in his eyes and continued. "Once you're recovered I _promise_I will tell you everything you want to know. Don't find out from a stupid television reporter that has no idea what they're talking about." To prove his point he reached over and clicked the power button on the remote and then put his hands back on Sweets shoulders. With complete sincerity he said, "I care about you, Sweets, and I'm trying to do this the easiest way possible. You get me?"

Sweets blinked hard and nodded. He then fell forward into Booth's shoulder and Booth embraced the psychologist with a hug. Sweets started sobbing. "That's it, kid, get it out." Booth said quietly. _'__Just__imagine__it__'__s__Bones,__just__imagine__it__'__s__Bones__…' _Booth said to himself. The hug was way out of his comfort zone and he was glad no one else was here to see it.

Brennan was though. She watched from her secret vantage point. She was smiling. The scene had given her a warm fuzzy feeling inside. This proved that Booth was going to be a great father, not that she had doubted it before. She'd seen how he'd interacted with Parker. Now it was just up to her to be a great mother. It was also a great display of Booth's compassionate side that rarely anyone was privileged enough to see. But it also showed how damaged the young doctor was.

Sweets sniffled slightly and pulled back from Agent Booth when suddenly a thought struck him. "Can I ask one question?"

"_One._" Booth emphasized.

"Do you and Doctor Brennan refer to me as your baby duckling?" Sweets asked as he recalled the reference from one of his drug induced dreams.

"What?" Booth laughed as his cheeks tinted slightly. "That's ridiculous! Where'd you hear that at?"

"Oh, nowhere in particular." Sweets replied with a crooked smile.

"I've gotta go flip some sandwiches." Booth said as he dodged into the kitchen.

"I'm back." Brennan decided to announce.

Sweets frantically rubbed at his eyes to get the moisture off his face before Doctor Brennan could see. Booth also acted as if nothing had happened. "Hey, Bones!" Booth greeted.

"Anything of interest happen while I was away?" Brennan questioned.

"Nope." Sweets replied hurriedly.

"Nada." Booth agreed just as fast.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Viola! The last normal chapter. :) I really liked how this chapter turned out and I tried to keep everyone as in character as possible. The next chapter shall be the epilogue! :D Thanks for reviews! I love them and give virtual cookies to all you review! (They're pumpkin chocolate chip to keep the Halloween spirit.)_

_**Important ****Information ****about ****NaNoWriMo: **Yes, I shall be participating in this grueling event. XD Yes, I will be writing a Bones fanfiction. No, it will not be a sequel to this fic. Yes, it will be Sweets-centric. Here is the description I have posted on my NaNoWriMo profile:_

_**The Siblings in the Nightmare**_

"A case starts out just like any other until Dr. Lance Sweets recognizes the man who identified the body as a man from his abusive childhood. When the investigation leads to the psychologist's biological father the whole team is in for a quite the case. Especially when an unexpected surprise turns up. With Brennan on maternity leave, will the case ever be solved?"


	27. Epilogue

"Look right there, Bones, it says it in bold print!" Booth defended as he smacked a piece of paper on her desk.

Brennan grudgingly picked the paper off of her desk and looked at the evidence Booth had provided.

"See? I told you so!" Booth said as he saw the defeated look on her face.

Bones slammed the paper back down on the desk. "How is it even possible to complete a full Solitaire game in only one minute and eight seconds?"

"Because I am a card shark! Admit it; I am better at something than you are." He smiled cockily and retrieved the score sheet from her desk.

"Only by thirty seconds." Brennan shot back.

The couple looked up from their quarrel as they heard a throat being cleared at the doorway. Brennan stood up from her desk to reveal her swollen stomach.

"Sweets!" Booth greeted. "How have you been?"

Sweets shrugged. "The usual." His eyes went over to Brennan. "Oh my gosh, you've gotten huge!" He then realized what he'd said. "I mean you're stomach is just…" his hands moved out in front of him to explain what he meant. He moaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. "I can't say anything right."

"On the contrary, I completely understand your meaning, Doctor Sweets." Brennan said with a smile.

"That's good." Sweets said with relief.

"So what brings you here?" Booth asked.

"Well I was trying to bargain my way into coming back early, but it turned out the same again." Sweets said. He shuffled his foot slightly.

"Sweets, it's only been three weeks."

"I know." He rushed. "It's just that sitting around all day at my apartment doing nothing except waiting for doctor and physical therapy appointments isn't doing me much good."

Booth held back a sigh. "How about I check around the office and see if there are any spare files that need profiled?"

"You would do that?" Sweets asked excitedly.

"Of course, kid." Booth said.

"That would be awesome, Agent Booth, thank you so much." Sweets smiled widely. He was clad in a blue long sleeve shirt, gray sweatpants, and green sneakers. Booth was always astounded at how young the psychologist looked in casual clothing.

"If I do this you better keep to doctor's orders, alright? No sneaking back to work early."

"You have my word. Scout's honor." He promised and held up his right hand.

"I'll bring them by tomorrow." Booth said.

"Thank you so so much." Sweets said and then turned on his heal to leave. "Bye!" he called over his shoulder.

Booth waved and Brennan just smiled.

"It's good to see he has his energy back." Booth said once Sweets was out of earshot.

"Actually he still has circles under his eyes." Brennan stated as she sat back down in her chair. "And he's still holding his shoulder rather stiffly."

"Way to rain on my parade, Miss Debbie Downer."

Across the lab Hodgins watched the exchange. He sighed as he watched Sweets.

Wendell noticed the change of demeanor and asked, "You alright, Hodgins?"

"Hmm? Oh ya, I'm fine." Hodgins turned back to the goop he had his arms up to the elbows in. Their current victim had somehow ended up being encased in six feet of Jell-O. They still weren't sure how that had happened.

Wendell's brows pulled together. Thirty-six square feet of Jell-O to sort through would usually have Hodgins grinning from ear to ear. And he had been until he'd seen Sweets. "How _is _Sweets doing?" Wendell asked out of curiosity.

"He's not sleeping." Hodgins said. "I've had a couple late night calls."

"Wouldn't the doctor have prescribed medicine for that?" Wendell questioned as he picked something out of the goop and set it in a silver tray.

"It's not the pain that's keeping him up, smart one." Hodgins replied sarcastically.

Wendell shrugged. "Get him a dog."

Hodgins stopped and gave Wendell a hard stare. "A dog?" He asked incredulously. He thought the undergrad was joking with him.

"Hey, I'd feel better if there was a 100 pound guard system sleeping by my feet."

"You know what? That is a great idea!" Hodgins said excitedly. He pulled his hands out of the goop and stripped off his shoulder length gloves.

"Hey, where are you going?" Wendell asked.

"To find a dog!" Hodgins replied as if it were common knowledge.

"You can't be serious."

"Why wouldn't I be?" He exited the forensic platform and started toward the doors.

"Hey! Who's gonna help me with all this Jell-O?" Wendell called after him.

Hodgins walked backwards through the sliding doors. "You can do it!" The doors hissed shut again and Hodgins was out of sight before Wendell could protest. The undergrad looked at the four three by three feet blocks of Jell-O that was laid out before him. He know had to go through every inch of each block by himself. "Great. Me and my big mouth." He grumbled.

_-break-_

Sweets had driven himself back to his apartment, which he really wasn't supposed to be doing, and walked in silently. He made sure the door was locked behind him which had been a habit as of late. He hated that he was paranoid. He hated that he couldn't feel safe in his own apartment. He sighed as he took in the sight of his apartment again. When Taffet had been here he'd destroyed some furniture and dumped his belongings everywhere. While he had been in the hospital and at Booth's place Angela had been in and redone it. He wasn't saying that she didn't do a good job! It was just the fact that it was different. He wanted to return to normal and his apartment was different.

He sighed and walked over to his couch. He sat down and flicked the TV on. He picked at his sling. It had become his nervous habit lately. He had a string worked loose and was currently pulling it out. After a few restless minutes he sighed and leaned his head back against the couch. He ran through the possible list of things to do except sit here and let his mind wander.

One: Read a book. He walked over to his bookshelf and glanced over the spines of his collection. He grimaced as he realized he read all of them. Two: Watch a movie. Nope. It was just as bad as sitting and letting his mind wander. Three: Exercise? That was a no too. The physical therapist didn't want him using his shoulder more than he had to. Video games were a no too. He only had one hand. You can't hold or operate a controller with only one hand.

He found himself back on the same spot on the couch with his head back. He had turned on some music so it wasn't as quiet. It was an old metal CD he had found when going through his stuff the other day. He groaned. Sweets found that he didn't deal with boredom very well.

A couple hours later Sweets heard a knock on his door. He quickly jumped up from his couch and padded over to the door. He looked through the peephole and a smile spread over his face. He unlocked the door and threw it open. "Hey, Hodgins, Angela!" he greeted.

"Hey, Sweets!" The two greeted.

"What brings you guys here?" Sweets asked. He motioned for them to come in.

"Actually, we just came to drop this off." Hodgins said. In his arms was a rather large box. Holes had been poked into the top.

Sweets sensed something was up. "What is that?" he asked warily.

"Open it!" Angela urged as Hodgins held the box forward.

Sweets gingerly flipped open the box lid. He looked from the contents of the box to the couple standing before him. "Is this a joke?" he asked.

Angela laughed. "No!" She reached into the box and pulled out an adorable German Shepherd puppy. "Isn't he adorable? Just wook at his wittle face." She cooed at the puppy.

"We thought you could use some company, Sweets." Hodgins said. "And don't say you can't take it because we paid no money whatsoever for him."

Angela held the puppy up next her face and made a sad puppy face. "Look how sad he is. We found him at the pound."

"Guys, I can't-"

"We even bought you dog food, a water dish, chewy toys, a crate, and a leash." Hodgins interrupted.

"He came with the name Bacon." Angela pressed. "But you could probably change it."

Sweets glanced between Hodgins and Angela and then at the dog. The puppy was wagging its tail happily.

"He's potty trained." Hodgins said in a sing song voice.

A small smile passed over Sweets' face. "Fine." he gave in.

"Here." Angela laughed and handed the puppy to Sweets. Sweets had to cradle the dog with his arm that wasn't in a sling. He had to admit. The puppy _was_cute.

"I'll go get the rest of the stuff." Hodgins said excitedly and ran back to their car.

Around thirty minutes later Sweets was sitting on the couch with the puppy in his lap. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked the bundle of energy.

The puppy stopped and sneezed.

"Hey, I'm the one that's allergic to you, not the other way around." Sweets said indignantly.

The puppy sat down and yawned then. Sweets yawned too then. "How 'bout we go to bed then, Bacon?" He picked the puppy up and moved to his bedroom. He put the dog in his crate so that he could get a shower without having to worry about him. As soon as Sweets was out of sight the dog started to whine and cry. Sweets winced at the sound. Grumbling while he did so, but he brought the dog into the bathroom with him. Bacon didn't whine one time while Sweets got a shower. Sweets then brought the puppy with him to bed. He laid out and put the puppy beside him. The puppy refused to stay in this position. It crawled up onto Sweets' chest. Sweets sighed. He was going to have to stock up on Zertec.

"Night, Bacon." Sweets told the puppy as he gave the puppy a scratch behind the ears. Sweets soon found himself soundly asleep.

Hodgins received no late night phone calls that night.

* * *

><p><em>AN: And here be the epilogue! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks to all of those who reviewed and favorited! _

_Also, to answer The Girl's questions: Yes, I do plan on writing a sequel to this fic. And I will be writing 50,000 words. (1,667 a day! D: So many.) And it's not the YWP. I was originally in the YWP, but I was peer pressured into the full 50,000. XD_

_To Joanne: Yes, my NaNoWriMo will be posted on here! :D Glad you're excited!_


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